The new Need for Speed game announcement that skipped E3 in June finally arrived today ahead of gamescom, with EA speeding out a trailer with some gameplay glimpses and in-engine footage, seen above.
Titled Need for Speed Heat, this iteration is also being developed by Ghost Games, just as the last three titles in the series. Heat will take players to Palm City, a new open world setting where racers are competing in legal races - including drift and off-road events - during the day and going underground for their high-risk street racing needs at night.
There is a snag with the latter though, as a "rogue police task force" will be on the lookout for these underground events, trying to "take racers down and swipe all their earnings." Meanwhile customization is returning in a big way as well, as expected from Need for Speed, with Ghost Games creative director Riley Cooper saying:
“We’re delivering more options than ever before for players to be unique and make themselves known. Our fans have been clear that they want more cars, more customization, and more challenges, and we’re tuning up on every aspect. From your character’s style to your car’s performance and your driving style, we’re fuelling everyone’s creativity with this new game.”
A full gameplay reveal will be happening at gamescom five days from now, and a handy countdown for this event can be found on the official Need for Speed portal in EA"s website.
Need for Speed Heat is hitting PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on November 8. However, those who subscribe to Origin Access Premier on PC can jump into the full game starting on November 5. This is also when a 10-hour Play First Trial will be extended to Origin Access Basic and EA Access members.