EA announces Need for Speed: The Run

By Tom Phillips Published 29 April, 2011

Black Box racing for November launch.

EA has announced the next entry in its long-running driving series Need for Speed.

Need for Speed: The Run launches on 3DS, PC, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 in North America on 15th November, in Europe on 17th November, and in the UK on 18th November.

The focus reverts to the world of underground racing, set against the backdrop of a high-speed race across the US from San Francisco to New York.

Development duties are being taken care of by Black Box, which helmed the franchise from 2002 to 2008, creating seven consecutive yearly updates including NFS Underground and NFS Most Wanted. "EA Black Box will spend more than two years of development time on The Run to make sure this is the most action packed and finest cinematic racing experience in NFS history," EA said.

Need for Speed: The Run takes advantage of DICE's new Frostbite 2.0 engine, used in forthcoming first-person shooter Battlefield 3.

Criterion's social competition service Autolog, a series staple since 2010's superb Hot Pursuit, returns.

EA's first teaser for the game is below, and shows some of the environments on offer. There's a pleasing mix of locations, despite the switch to real-world surroundings after Hot Pursuit's fictional Seacrest County. Dense urban traffic, arid desert plains and icy mountain passes feature, with races apparently split into smaller legs spanning the width of North America.

The game's "Hollywood movie style" story is hinted at. An attractive young woman swerves in a city environment, seemingly pursued by police. There's even a glimpse of cops chasing an escaping figure on foot.

Intercut are shots of a driver waking in an upturned vehicle, suspended in his seat as a train ploughs towards him. Mysterious.

EA promises "immersive storytelling" and "cutting edge performances" depicting "a world with no speed limits, rules or allies".

A first look at Need for Speed: The Run.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

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Comments (27) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Daddy-Doom-Bar #1 1 year ago

    Ooooooo. Colour me very interested! Nice set up, especially the Frostbite 2.0!

  • bobfish09 #2 1 year ago

    That would be cannonball run then...

  • streetmagix #3 1 year ago

    OK, This looks pretty awesome.

  • Thunderbolt #4 1 year ago

    Look good, loved Hot Pursuit. Hopefully not too many night races cos I hate night racing.

  • cjb_bjc #5 1 year ago

    They better do as well as Criterion

  • MaxiSleep #6 1 year ago

    The runs certainly add drama when I am driving.

  • Shadzter #7 1 year ago

    I think you've made a mistake in the article, Tom. You've put November 17th as the European release date, while the trailer says November 18th. Anyway, game sounds very interesting. I'll be keeping my eye on this.

  • SvennoJ #8 1 year ago

    Immersive storytelling in a racing game? Will you have a passenger read you a book while you drive the 3000 miles to NY? As long as it's not going to be like tdu2. Oh what drama, apparently the Wilder brothers are squabbling with Stuart again.
    Edited by SvennoJ at 29/04/11 @ 15:26

  • Dr_Cowley #9 1 year ago

    Criterion's social competition service Autolog, a series staple since 2010's superb Hot Pursuit, returns.

    Once, they used it once. Hardly a series staple. Driving cars is the series staple

  • andrewsqual #10 1 year ago

    Don't compare this to Criterion. It is made by the same "team" who "helmed the franchise from 2002 to 2008". So who, which each game, the series got worse. Why in the name of fuck would anybody be bothered with this???

  • Kazzahdrane #11 1 year ago

    @Dr_Cowley: I'm pretty sure Shift 2 uses Autolog too, so it's reasonable to say it's now a staple.

  • Machetazo #12 1 year ago

    Shift 2 doesn't count. Not withstanding the point that the style of play looks very different, it still doesn't count.
    Edited by Machetazo at 29/04/11 @ 16:51

  • simon50 #13 1 year ago

    I'm interested to see how Frostbite 2.0 will be used. Still expecting the game to be a turd though.

  • Davemanz #14 1 year ago

    Wasn't this setting exactly what made NFS suck for so many years? And with Black Box developing?

  • dsmx #15 1 year ago

    why do we need 3 need for speed games in under 12 months?

  • metalangel #16 1 year ago

    Autolog is just online leaderboards like EVERY OTHER RACING GAME THIS GENERATION. The way you cretins go on about it you'd think it was the second coming of Jesus.

    NFS, meanwhile, can fuck off. It had its day, and that was over a decade ago. Hot Pursuit 2010 was an infuriating hovercraft race, at least, when you weren't watching cutscenes or loading screens. Shift tries and fails to create a niche nobody wanted for itself between the likes of Forza/GT and GRiD/Race PRO and fails with its laggy handling, ridiculous 'blurring' effects and lack of a genuine purpose for existing in the first place.

    Don't forget you'll need an online pass, and probably that EA Sports subscription. There'll be plenty of overpriced DLC and a few 'exclusive' preorder cars that completely dominate their class in the races. Fuck off EA, you're still the biggest bunch of cunts.

  • Adgeman #17 1 year ago

    @10 - Black Box were the "team" who designed Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted and Carbon so you're looking at more than 50 million in sales there. These guys don't get crap over night; maybe they had bad management or a really reduced dev period - didn't Ritticello say the Undercover team only had 9 months to make the game? It would certainly explain why that wasn't very good.

  • Verloren #18 1 year ago

    Frostbite 2. I'm interested.

  • Peter_LIAR_Molyneux #19 1 year ago

    Just call it Need For Speed 2011 and go from there. Oh right, they can't because EA are pumping out more than one NFS game a year now.

  • karaokequeen3 #20 1 year ago

    So does this mean that we can expect a bonus mode with you, as Sir Alex Ferguson, desperately evading the police in search of the nearest WC?

  • Phishfood #21 1 year ago

    If only we could solve all our problems with racing and crime sprees

  • Master_Ted #22 1 year ago

    if this plays like underground 2
    using the tech of FB 2
    I will jizz in my pants 2

  • priesty_lfc #23 1 year ago

    NFS Underground/Underground 2 were awsome, the games since were poor. Hope they bring back the modding scene as that rocked!

  • FeralYouth #24 1 year ago

    The game's "Hollywood movie style" story is hinted at.


    And there vanishes my interest.


  • metamorphic #25 1 year ago

    What is this, the 15th game in the series? Don't they release about 3 games every single year?

  • thedriffter50 #26 1 year ago

    NFS is overrated. The only good games in the series was Underground 1, Underground 2 and Most Wanted. The rest are trash.

  • swisstony #27 1 year ago

    got to agree with metalangel. Autolog is great if you have
    a. enough mates who have the same console.
    b. enough mates who have bought that game.
    c. enough mates who are similar enough a level that you actually have times to beat and are capable of beating them.
    d. enough mates who have all the above and are willing to play it and not trade it in so soon that you get enough reminders and updates about what records you and your mates are vying for to make it more than a weekend's worth of challenges.

    Otherwise....