Who owns Need for Speed?
Need for Speed is owned by EA (the United States).[1]
Evidence: Electronic Arts Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-05-11, SEC EDGAR, 11 May 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Electronic Arts Inc. verified
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Redwood City, California
- Origin
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Founded
- 1994
- Category
- Internet & digital › Platforms & devices › Video games
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Need for Speed
Need for Speed has run since 1994 and moved from simulation towards street racing and police pursuits, a shift that defined the series. It has been adapted into a film and remains one of the longest-running racing franchises. Electronic Arts has published it since the beginning, and its Underground instalment in 2003 shifted the series decisively towards car modification and street culture.
How often EA names Need for Speed in its annual report
A plain count of the times the name appears in the text of each annual report, not counting the start of a sentence. A brand that an owner writes about more is usually one it treats as central. The brand is named less often than it was three years earlier.
Ownership timeline of Need for Speed
Where Need for Speed sits in EA
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full EA ownership tree →
See the full EA brand portfolio (9) →
Other brands owned by EA
EA controls 9 brands on Brandtree, 6 of them in internet & digital.
Also in internet & digital
- Apex Legends (2019)
- Battlefield (2002)
- EA Sports FC (1993)
- Madden NFL (1988)
- The Sims (2000)
Other brands in video games, and who owns them
The 87 brands in video games on Brandtree belong to 22 owners. The largest is Take-Two, with 7; EA has 6.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Westward Journey | NetEase | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
| Age of Wonders | Paradox Interactive | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| 2K | Take-Two | 🇺🇸 United States |
| eFootball | Konami | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA | KRAFTON | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| ARC Raiders | Nexon | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Bingo Blitz | Playtika | 🇮🇱 Israel |
| Mega Man | Capcom | 🇯🇵 Japan |
About the owner: EA
EA is a privately held company headquartered in Redwood City, California, United States, founded in 1982. Brandtree records 9 brands under its control.
Electronic Arts was founded in 1982 and named its programmers on box covers when the industry treated them as anonymous. On 4 August 2026 it was taken private by a consortium of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners for $210 a share, in a deal the parties put at about $55 billion, and its shares left Nasdaq. The filings do not say how the equity is divided among the three investors.
🇨🇦 Need for Speed and other Canadian brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 179 brands that began in Canada. 46 of them (26%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Need for Speed among them.
- Assassin's Creed — Ubisoft 🇫🇷
- Bitmoji — Snap 🇺🇸
- IMAX Enhanced — IMAX 🇨🇦
- Investopedia — IAC 🇺🇸
- Plenty of Fish — Match Group 🇺🇸
- Rakuten Kobo — Rakuten 🇯🇵
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Need for Speed?
The parent company of Need for Speed is EA, a privately held company headquartered in the United States.
Is Need for Speed Canadian or American?
Need for Speed originated in Canada in 1994, but it is owned today by EA, which is headquartered in the United States. So Need for Speed is a Canadian-origin brand under American ownership.
Is Need for Speed still owned by EA?
Yes. As of 29 October 2026, Need for Speed is still owned by EA. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Electronic Arts Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-05-11 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 11 May 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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