Need For Speed series now under EA Sports banner

Up until now, Need For Speed games were released under the Electronic Arts (EA for short) banner. However, that has now changed, because future NFS titles will be released under the EA Sports banner, which is famous for games such as FIFA and NHL, amongst others.

This change came as a result of a recent restructuring of one of the oldest gaming companies in the world. The new CEO, Andrew Wilson, has been busy since he was chosen as CEO of EA back in September. According to him, this change will have a huge benefit for NFS: "When you’ve had a franchise that’s been going on for 20 years like Need for Speed, I think it was time for us to get a different pair of eyes on it, a fresh look and feel on it." Patrick Soderlund, the head of EA Sports, has also commented on the matter: "I think that we can learn a lot from the sports games and what they've done. When you play a sports game, the controller in your hand will dictate how good the game is. It's all about player control and input and how it feels. It's a feeling, right? I think that focus on pure gameplay, is something that can benefit the Need for Speed brand in a very positive way."

EA Sports-branded games have shared assets and design philosophies over the years, such as the NHL team at EA Canada adapting FIFA's Player Impact physics engine for NHL 14. Soderlund noted that the change doesn't necessarily indicate a sudden move away from the sandbox-style action seen in Need For Speed Rivals, which is due to be released this month for both current- and next-gen, together with PC.

What are your thoughts on it? Will this change be beneficial for future NFS games or not?