Four Need for Speed Games In Development (Update)

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Update: In addition to the three Need for Speed games below, Electronic Arts tells Eurogamer that "Black Box is currently working on a future action title in the franchise."

No additional details on the so-called "secret NFS game" are known at this time.

Original Story: GameSpot is reporting that despite recent mass layoffs at Need for Speed series developer EA Black Box, Electronic Arts is not giving up on the Need for Speed franchise.

On the contrary, as the publisher has three new entries in the series in the works.

The PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PSP are set to receive Need for Speed Shift, described as a "hardcore racing simulation". Development is being handled by UK start-up Slightly Mad Studios, with production overseen by Black Box executive producer Michael Mann and DICE co-founder Patrick Soderlund.

Slightly Mad Studios was founded by veterans of SimBin and Blimey!, and is said to include "the core development team" responsible for the GTR racing sim series.

An arcade racer titled Need for Speed Nitro is in development for Wii and Nintendo DS at EA Montreal. The game is said to feature a more Nintendo-style "mischievous" look.

Need for Speed Shift and Nitro will both arrive this fall.

Lastly, Black Box and EA Shanghai are working on Need for Speed World Online. Developed exclusively for the PC, the free-to-play racing MMO will launch this summer in Asia, before coming to North America in the winter.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    January 30, 2009 6:40 AM

    Hardcore racing simulation?

    May I lol? It's just the same old big mouth people promising a lot of things they don't have a clue about.

    Need for Speed has gone down the shitter since Need For Speed Underground 2. While NFSU was a fun new thing, slaughtering it out with sequels only adding wannabe innovation like a useless boring open "world" was certainly the direction not to go.

    Having a look at the latest Need For Speed, you can see that it was promised to be what people wanted since Carbon was just another game riding on the pimp my ride hip hop phenomenon while just being another piece of crap. They promised great car physics, and a living open world, and when you played it, it was just a joke.

    In the end, what stays is a series of games that want to be cool to a generation the makers don't know. Or maybe this washed MTV generation gets what it deserves. I don't know. Maybe I'm too negative, but I can't see anymore of those "acted" cinematics about the same old cheesy story of working yourself to the top.


    I think back to the roots while adding minor improvements and current graphics is the way to go.

    • reply
      January 30, 2009 7:04 AM

      Yeah, I expect that new NFS game to be as much a "hardcore racing simulation" as NFS Pro Street was.

      NFS: Underground 1 & 2 really were big improvements for the series. It's too bad it all went downhill after that.

      What I want from racing games is physics as realistic as in Forza Motorsport 2. Very realistic, but with enough driving assists to make it easy for new players to get into.

      • reply
        January 30, 2009 7:22 AM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        January 30, 2009 7:25 AM

        I guess you don't know who Slightly Mad Studios is then. They are comprised of people from SimBin and Blimey! who worked on GTR, GTR2, and GT Legends. Some of the most realistic PC racing sims there are. This is the read deal.

        • reply
          January 30, 2009 8:13 AM

          Ohh, nice! Then I'm keeping my hopes up...

        • reply
          January 30, 2009 11:50 AM

          Problem is ppl don't want NFS turned into some racing sim; there are enough of those out there already.

          I couldn't care less who's making because its not gonna be what NFS is about

    • reply
      January 30, 2009 11:47 AM

      Most Wanted was the best NFS since Underground.

    • bld legacy 10 years
      reply
      January 30, 2009 11:54 AM

      I always thought of the NFS series as the true 3d version of Out Run.

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