Need for Speed (2015) learns to live without EA App as enthusiasts build their own server emulator
The afterhours-crew team has open-sourced Afterhours 2015, a server emulator for Need for Speed (2015). The game already launches without EA App: local account, garage, and free roam are working.
Own infrastructure instead of EA servers
Afterhours 2015 is an open project that should free Need for Speed (2015) from its mandatory tie to Electronic Arts online services. The authors' goal is their own servers and, eventually, a full offline mode, and the afterhours-crew team has released the source code publicly.
What already works
The project has now outgrown the early prototype stage:
- Local account: created independently of an EA account.
- Garage and free roam: the game loads through to the garage, from which you can drive out into the open world.
- Return to garage: the drive ends normally, without contacting external services.
- Purchases and tuning: some in-game spending and car upgrades already function.
- Progress: account state and some achievements are saved after restarting the game and server.
The authors specifically emphasize: free roam was launched after a Windows reboot — without EA App and without contacting external racing services. In other words, the game can already work with a local server implementation, not only with Electronic Arts infrastructure.
What's ahead
Afterhours 2015 is still in WIP stage and far from fully replacing the original servers. The roadmap includes the REP and unlock system, events, collectible items, traffic and AI rivals, police with pursuits, story missions, daily challenges, the remaining race modes and multiplayer. There is also no ready-made installer: the server and launcher must be built yourself, and an installed copy of the game is required.
And how do you feel about projects that save games from server shutdowns? Share your opinion in the comments and keep up with updates on nfs.com.ru!
👉 Sources: PlayGround.ru, iXBT.games