EA is sunsetting five older _ Need for Speed_ titles and pulling them from sale

EA is retiring a number of older Need for Speed titles including Need for Speed Carbon, Undercover, Shift, Shift 2: Unleashed, and The Run.

All five games will be removed from digital marketplaces starting this week, while the in-game storefronts have also been turned off. EA said the online services for each title will remain available until August 31, 2021, after which point players will only be able to access offline features.

The publisher said the decision was made as it turns its attention towards the future of the racing franchise. 

"The development teams and operational staff have put a lot of time and passion into the development, creation, release and upkeep of the game over the years, and we love to see you play," explained a community manager on the Need for Speed subreddit. "But the number of players has come to a point where it's no longer feasible to continue the work behind the scenes required to keep [each game] up and running." 

It pointed users towards newer releases like Need for Speed Rivals and Need for Speed Heat, and noted that many of those more recent releases are available on EA Play.