Electronic Arts has officially revealed the trailer for its next entry in the Need for Speed franchise. The Need for Speed Unbound trailer features a unique art style for the characters that has been heavily hinted at and a big name in the music and fashion industry as one of the main characters in the game.
Electronic Arts has given the keys to the Need for Speed franchise back to Criterion Games and it aims to make a big impression. With some promotional material leaking a little earlier than EA intended, fans of the Need for Speed series got wind of these changes and got the excitement going early. Those looking forward to it should note that Need for Speed Unbound will launch on December 2.
The game takes place in the fictional Lakeshore City and the player's goal will be to win "The Grand" the city's signature street race. EA officially reveals the merge unique character designs with realistic-looking cars in Need for Speed Unbound. The game will have an anime art style to characters and car actions like burnouts and jumps that will have colorful effects. The trailer features rapper A$AP Rocky prominently throughout hinting that he could be a leader or a boss race at some point in the game's campaign.
The Need for Speed website also details that players will be making wagers on their races on top of whatever money they make from races, which could be spent on cars, upgrades, driving effects, player avatar customizations, and more. Clothing customization may also come from officially licensed deals with clothing and shoe brands. The announcement on the Need for Speed Twitter account tagged clothing designer Marine Serre and shoe brand Vans for A$AP Rocky's in-game outfit, signaling that licensed clothing and shoe deals will be in the game. Given the aesthetic of the trailer and numerous scenes featuring other stylish characters, what the player wears will be just as important as how their car looks and drives.
EA looks to be ready to move on from the previous console generation. Leaked images showed that Need for Speed Unbound releases showed that when the game releases, it will only be coming to the new generations of consoles as well as PC via EA Play and will cost $70. The game also will have pre-order bonuses of $150,000 in-game currency to start, exclusive pre-order content of driving effects, decals, license plate, banner artwork, and stickers. Additionally, there will be an $80 Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition in partnership with Palace Skateboards that give players exclusive content and early access to the game alongside EA Play Members.
Need for Speed Unbound releases on December 2, 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.