Need For Speed Franchise Races Into New Genres

January 30, 2009

Need For Speed franchise Races
into New Genres

Global Studio Teams Drive Quality
and Innovation in Three New Games

Fifteen years; more than 40
countries; close to 100 million games sold. Need for Speed™ has helped to define
automotive culture for millions of fans with its embrace of the car lifestyle
and its cool rebellious attitude. Today, Electronic Arts Inc.
unveiled the details of what is in store for the franchise over the next 12
months, as the property expands to new platforms, new categories and new media.

Need for Speed is committed to
providing unique and customized experiences for all types of racing fans by
establishing three independent series; simulation, action and arcade racing.
Each series will be developed by a highly-specialized team dedicated to
delivering the ultimate racing experiences to car enthusiasts around the world –
whether they be interested in adrenaline action, arcade fun or authentic
simulation.

“We recognize racing videogame fans
are very passionate and unique — they want customized gameplay experiences.
Whether it’s more of a realistic driving game with accurate car physics or
over-the-top cop chases, we are making different games for different audiences,”
said Keith Munro, vice president of marketing, Need for Speed. “Each game
provides a deep, engaging and rich racing experience. We’re giving players the
option to choose the best racing title that suits their style of gameplay.”

Need for Speed SHIFT – Fall 2009

Shift into high gear! Designed to
deliver a true driver’s experience that reflects contemporary motorsports, Need
for Speed SHIFT is built by racers for racers. Need for Speed SHIFT delivers an
authentic and immersive driving experience developed by Slightly Mad Studios in
collaboration with executive producer Michael Mann at Black Box and senior vice
president Patrick Soderlund at EA Games Europe. Slightly Mad Studios includes
developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT
Legends and GTR 2. Need for Speed SHIFT replicates the true feeling of racing
high-end performance cars like never before. Players are thrust into the heart
of the action with immersive and exciting features including a stunningly
realistic first-person cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic,
providing an unrivaled sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the
extreme edge of control.

Soderlund is also part of a racing
team that recently competed in the 4th edition of the TOYO TIRES 24H Dubai 2009,
the first major race event of the year. His team ranked #5 in the high-profile
race. Soderlund and the SHIFT development team are committed to bringing the
on-the-track experience to players across the world.

Need for Speed SHIFT will be
released on PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game
and entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) and PC in fall 2009.

Need for Speed NITRO (Working
Title) – Fall 2009

Developed by EA Montreal, Need for
Speed NITRO for Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ will have players of all skill levels
hooked from the moment they get into the action, while arcade racing fans will
be exhilarated by the deep and challenging gameplay. EA Montreal has already
established a strong track record of developing for these platforms and will
bring their unique creativity and innovation to the Need for Speed franchise.

Gamers can build up their boost as
they drift and drag behind their opponents and use it strategically to change
the course of the race, but watch out for the cops! Offering a fresh and unique
visual style, the game features a variety of licensed cars which can be fully
customized to let the game reflect the player’s taste and personality. This
evolutionary take on arcade racing, bringing back the best features found in
Need for Speed games, comes exclusively to the Nintendo platforms this fall.

Need for Speed World Online –
Winter 2009 in North America, (Summer 2009 in Asia)

Co-developed by Black Box and EA
Singapore, Need for Speed World Online takes the race into the largest open
world in the history of Need for Speed – designed exclusively for the PC.
Beginning in Asia, this Play 4 Free action racing game will give Need for Speed
fans access to licensed cars, parts and multiple game modes. Players will prove
their racing supremacy through the sophisticated online matchmaking features and
fully customize their profile and their ride.

EA and Black Box will have more news
about the Need for Speed franchise in the months ahead.