For a short while it looks like Electronic Arts might abandon, or at least put on hold, their Need For Speed racing franchise after the poor critical notices and sales of 2008's Need For Speed Undercover. But the series got a lift thank to the release of Need For Speed Shift last year. Now as part of EA's financial press release today, they apparently have plans to release three Need For Speed games for the PC platform in their fiscal 2011 year.

Due out in the first fiscal quarter (April-June 2010) is the previously announced free-to-play game Need For Speed World Online. Two more games in the series will be released in the fall 2010 calendar quarter as well as the first quarter of the calendar year of 2011. It's very possible that one of those games will be developed by Criterion Games which has already been revealed as making a new Need For Speed game.

Update: During their financial conference call EA execs did confim that the Criterion-developed Need For Speed game would be released in the fourth quarter.