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Need for Speed World pulls up to the starting line on July 27
Anxious to envelop yourself in your Maserati's splendor and hit some hairpin turns at 100mph? Well, you can do that later. Now we want to tell you about this video game. EA has announced that its MMO experiment, Need for Speed World, will be available for download on July 27 -- a week later than initially expected. Those who pre-ordered the Need for Speed World Starter Pack -- a $20 primer that gives players $20 in SpeedBoost (in-game currency), full access up to level 50 and some power-ups including Nitrous and Traffic Magnet -- get a week's head start and can play Need for Speed World starting today. Those who pre-ordered get further incentive in exclusive cars, double experience points, driver name reservation and permanent VIP status. Racers looking for a free taste of the game will be able to download a special trial version (that unlocks all game modes and provides free play up to level ten) here as of July 27.
Behind the wheel with Need For Speed World
Vroom vroom! I want to tell you to warm up your engines and place your hands at 10 and 2, because Need For Speed World is just about ready to burn some asphalt and squeal some rubber. Too bad I couldn't car-metaphor my way out of a wet paper bag. But I can tell you this: EA's free-to-play racing MMO is awesome fun. And it's almost here. I sat down Wednesday with Adam King, EA product manager, and a copy of NFSW, which opens July 20 with a pre-order head start before going fully live July 27. King gave me a chance to look under the engine, punch the tires and take the game for a twirl -- car metaphors, agh! -- so follow me past the jump for my impressions of the game, plus some hints about what to expect in the first major content update.
New producer interview video zooms in on Need for Speed World
Recently, EA held their super-shiny EA Showcase event across the pond, showing off -- among many other well-known upcoming EA titles -- their auto-racing MMO, Need for Speed World. While we sadly weren't able to make it there to catch all the tire-screeching action in person, EA has put out a video today offering those of us who couldn't make it a brief interview with the game's producer Jean-Charles Gaudechon. Not only are we treated to some information on what their plans are, (hint: they're in closed beta now with the intent to launch this summer), but there is also quite a bit of in-game eyecandy footage for those who are curious to see more. With the ability to race with "thousands" of other people in the world, this could well prove a crazy addictive game for those road warriors in the Massively crew. If it sounds like your idea of awesome, you can sign up for the beta over on the official Need for Speed World site, and check out the video behind the break.
Need for Speed World releases new art and trailer
Need for Speed World is the upcoming MMO from EA games, and while things on that front have been fairly quiet, we have a feeling that's about to change. This morning EA released a new game trailer, a handful of screenshots, and box art, and so far we like what we see. The trailer is full of pretty graphics, fast cars, and destruction of public property -- what's not to love? (We particularly enjoyed the fleet of cars blowing past a 45 MPH sign at considerably more than 45 MPH.) You can work with or against other players, racing as a team or singly, and the game also promises "epic online pursuits," depicting a car chase with police cars that are presumably NPCs. Of course, a game is much more than looks -- in the end, it all comes down to how well it's is done. Follow along after the jump for a peek at the trailer. Then, if you're interested in a firsthand look, Need for Speed World is accepting beta applications now, so head over to the official site to try it out for yourself. %Gallery-88339%
EA: Expect a 'major MMO' in 'Spring 2011'
EA CEO John Riccitiello mentioned during the company's reduced earnings conference call yesterday that the publisher plans to launch its "major MMO" in the spring of 2011. With no other announced "major MMO" in the works at Electronic Arts, the common wisdom of the Jedi (which can sometimes lead to bad things), points to that being Bioware's Star Wars: The Old Republic's release window. The company refused to elaborate further or acknowledge what game the executive was talking about. Eurogamer notes that other possibilities are Realtime Worlds' APB or Need for Speed: World Online, but neither has the hype of the Star Wars game. Of course, there's also a chance that EA has some super-secret MMO hidden away like a Sith apprentice. Update: BioWare confirms release window [Kotaku]
Need for Speed series sells 100m copies, earns $2.7b life-to-date
Yep, EA has announced the Need for Speed series has raced past the 100 million sold mark -- thanks to recent sales of Need for Speed: Shift -- and earned $2.7 billion in life-to-date sales, cementing its status as the best-selling racing brand in gaming. Just because it's sold the most doesn't necessarily mean it's the best franchise in terms of quality, however -- so we cooked up the graph you see above! There are a couple of things to keep in mind as you follow the red line's progress: First of all, we didn't include cell phone entries and tried to focus on the main entries in the franchise The general quality of the series seems to be high, yet starts to dip after the release of Underground 2 in 2004; Shift seems to have brought the series back from the brink of critical mediocrity EA's focus now is on rebooting the franchise -- the first step was to release a new hardcore sim racer in Need for Speed: Shift. The next move is to release Need for Speed Nitro, an arcade racer for the Wii and DS market, and follow that with Need for Speed World Online, a free-to-play PC racer for the casual audience.
Need for Speed: World Online begins testing in March
Before Need for Speed officially burns internet rubber, PC gamers in Asia will get an early taste of what it feels like to slip behind the wheel of Need for Speed: World Online. The recently announced free-to-play online experiment will begin testing in Taiwan and Hong Kong in March, well ahead of the game's eventual debut later this year. EA explains that Need for Speed: World Online will boast "the largest free roaming environment" in the series' history as players "form teams to take on the competition and the police." The Black Box-developed racer is one of several attempts at refueling the property, though we're waiting to see if the game makes it across the finish line or slips on a patch of black ice as it races to North America this Winter.
Electronic Arts announces Need For Speed: World Online
There aren't a lot of racing MMOs to choose from, which is why Electronic Art's announcement of Need For Speed: World Online is something of a fun surprise. We don't really know anything about the title other than that it's a jointly-developed free-to-play game from Black Box and EA Shanghai. Oh, and it's coming out in North America this winter, so we won't have to wait much longer to find out more.At least this answers the question of what Black Box was going to be up to after having more than half of its staff laid off recently. We're glad to see the developer behind titles like Skate 1 & 2 and the NFS franchise has something to work on. And of course we'll be keeping our collective eyes on this title as more information develops in the coming months.[via Joystiq]
EA unveils new Need for Speed trio
It seems EA's long-idling racing franchise isn't destined for the scrap heap at all, as the publisher has unveiled three new Need for Speed titles across several platforms. In an interview with Gamespot, EA's veep of marketing, Kevin Munro, insists that "the new brand strategy around three specific genres will keep the game fresh and players entertained." This refreshing and oh-so-entertaining trio of titles includes: Need for Speed: Shift (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP) -- A "hardcore racing simulation" overseen by Black Box executive producer Michael Mann, and Patrick Soderlund, the co-founder of DICE and current senior vice president of EA Games Europe. External developer Slightly Mad Studios will be responsible for putting a realistic spin on the franchise. Need for Speed: Nitro (Wii, DS) -- As you might expect, this one will feature a "unique visual style," courtesy of EA Montreal. Nitro promises to take full advantage of the unique controls on offer for both platforms, but without sacrificing depth. According to Munro, "We do not want to fall into the trap of creating a 'Need for Speed Lite.'" Need for Speed: World Online (PC) -- Jointly developed by Black Box and EA Shanghai Singapore, this free-to-play online racer is set to launch in Asia this Summer, with a North American release slated for next Winter. You can look for Shift and Nitro on North American shelves sometime during Fall 2009. Update: Uploaded three screens (Shift, Nitro and World Online) and added source link to press release. Corrected development information for World Online.
