Need For Speed: SHIFT to release in September

Need For Speed: SHIFT to release in September

Need for Speed: SHIFT, the first in a series of new directions for the franchise, will gun its engines and proceed to retail outlets later this year. Set for a launch in September this year, the exact date of release will vary depending on where you are in the world. Americans can expect the title on the 22nd of September, while Europeans are expected to receive the title on the 17th of September. Australians will be able to pick up the game on the 24th of September.

Promising the largest line-up of vehicles ever seen in a Need For Speed title, SHIFT will feature "iconic racing tracks" from the real world, including Brand's Hatch, the UK race-track. Vehicles that will be included in the game include the Pagani Zonda, Porsche 911GT2, and the Lotus Elite.

A focus on realism will be main selling point of SHIFT, with the inclusion of first-person cockpit views and an "intense, and athletic expeirence" featuring "perception based G-Forces", and a new "brutally disorienting crash dynamic". This, in conjunction with an "accurate, accessible" physics model promises that players will "feel every impact, every change of track surface and every last bit of grip" as they race about tracks in exotic sports cars.

Patrick Soderlund - Senior Vice President at EA Games Europe had the following to say about the title:

With Need for Speed SHIFT, we set out to create a racing game that pushes the genre and delivers something never before seen in a Need for Speed title. By focusing on the driver’s experience through the first-person view, we are able to capture the high-speed intensity and gripping emotions of racing.​

Need for Speed: SHIFT is currently in development at Slightly Mad Studios. Black Box, the studio behind Need For Speed: Undercover will assist Slightly Mad in development duties. While Slightly Mad haven't released a game yet - their employees worked on titles such as GT Legends and GTR 2.

Need For Speed: SHIFT will be available on the PC, PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

 

The fact it's being developed by Ex-Simbin programmers excites Me
The fact it's being released by EA doesn't