The lack of a new Need for Speed game last year was a big deal for fans of the franchise. Before 2014, Electronic Arts had released a new Need for Speed game practically every year for over a decade. Naturally, many gamers were curious as to the reason for the absence.

Now, it looks like we have a clear answer: developer Ghost Games shared today that the upcoming Need for Speed game will be a "full reboot" of the franchise. It seems Ghost Games and Electronic Arts opted to skip a year in an effort to provide a fresh, new experience for Need for Speed fans.

Beyond learning the new open-world Need for Speed is a reboot, we know it is inspired by the popular Need for Speed Underground games, meaning there will be "deep customization" for the cars. We also know the developer is planning an "immersive narrative" that should help provide a more complete experience for players.

Ghost Games' general manager, Marcus Nilsson shared some thoughts about the developer's vision for the game:

"Need for Speed needs to understand what it really is. What are the core values of the brand, what are the types of experiences that we want to give to gamers? And sometimes it can be hard to do that when you have different development teams in different parts of the world. So the theory, or the strategy, for us was to become the owners of Need for Speed."

With this new Need for Speed on the horizon, fans will likely be interested to see what Ghost Games has in store for the franchise. The new take on the game's story could prove an intriguing factor, albeit if it is done well. It can be hard to provide a compelling, immersive story for a game where players simply drive around or race each other and NPCs, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

Creating an interesting and exciting story for a racing game is something many developers have tried, though very few had succeeded. Ubisoft's recent open-world "CaRPG", The Crew, struggled in the story department based on critical and fan reception. Hopefully, Ghost Games will move beyond the overused 'racer loses everything and climbs back to the top' script and generate something fresh and unique.

With this year's Need for Speed acting as a full reboot, and Ghost Games' promise of an immersive story, we may just see something new in the racing genre. Fortunately, fans will get a lot better look at the game during this year's E3, where EA and Ghost Games are planning to provide more details about the game.

What do you think about the new Need for Speed so far? Will Ghost Games really offer something fresh? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Source: Gamespot