There's a rumor going around that Electronic Arts has decided to cancel all upcoming Need for Speed projects.  While I wouldn't be surprised if the teams involved with the franchise were to be trimmed in the ongoing layoffs that have been going on over at EA lately, it is a bit shocking to see the entire series tossed aside (even if the more recent Need for Speed games have been underwhelming).  How often do we see a publisher completely suspend development on a long-running franchise?  I think that's the bigger news here.  Maybe Need for Speed has run its course, but when has that ever stopped a company from running a franchise completely into the ground again and again with numerous lackluster installments?  If this turns out to be true then I bet we'll see Need for Speed again when it's reinvented and reworked into something supposedly bigger and better by a different development team.