Rivals Going Offline: Completing Your Journey in Solving Challenges

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Earlier this month, EA announced that it will be shutting down Anthem next year, making it unplayable. While Anthem hasn’t been very popular, this decision is controversial because of the message it sends, igniting petitions and fueling the Stop Killing Games movement. But the news doesn’t stop there.

According to Push Square, a little-known Online Service Shutdown page on EA’s website revealed that Need for Speed: Rivals will also be taken offline on October 7 this year. Interestingly, the notice only mentions Xbox One, PS4, and PC, with no mention of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. However, you won’t need to dig out your old consoles, as Rivals can still be played offline.

Thankfully, Need For Speed: Rivals Has An Offline Mode

Need for Speed: Rivals does not need an internet connection to play. While the online features will be disabled, you can still race against AI opponents. However, since the game is nearly ten years old, even the online mode now feels deserted. On Steam, it has a peak of just 129 players in 24 hours and an all-time peak of 415, so it hasn’t been very active.

Players have also reported server issues. u/Checho-73 mentioned facing “random disconnects and host migration” while playing on PC, which led them to prefer single-player mode. Therefore, going offline likely won’t change much for them.

Even though PS3 and Xbox 360 aren’t listed, they have faced sign-in problems.

This situation raises concerns that Need for Speed (2015) may be next, as it was released two years after Rivals. Unlike Rivals, this game does not have an offline mode, meaning it would become completely unplayable if the servers shut down.

The Stop Killing Games movement aims to prevent scenarios like this, and it’s gaining support with over one million signatures. The outcome now relies on lawmakers, and if successful, it could stop future games from facing the same fate. Let’s hope it also applies retroactively.