Reports that it will have animated elements appear to be accurate.
A new, still untitled Need For Speed game is reportedly still on track to be here before the end of 2022. EA has yet to offer an official look at the series’ next installment, but a very short clip that surfaced online this week appears to be the first unofficial look at what Need For Speed fans can expect.
The clip circulating Friday was shared on Reddit and can be found below. It appears to show a car failing to jump through an obstacle with a seemingly unconcerned NPC walking behind it, phaseless from the fact that they were nearly run over. However, the biggest benefit of the leaked clip is the various animations that appear around the car after it bites the dust, or whatever the big ring is made of.
The background and the car briefly change color before the footage snaps back to reality and a skull and crossbones appears just above. A pair of animated wings then briefly extend to each side of the car before all animation fades away. This reveal lends itself to reports earlier this year that the upcoming Need For Speed would stick to its photo-realistic style, but also incorporate anime elements.
A hard-to-imagine combination for what is a very non-animated racing series, and despite its brevity, the clip above offers a first look at exactly how these elements will be incorporated. Since the new game was supposed to be officially revealed last month, there were fears that its launch might have been pushed back. According to insider Jeff Grubb (via VGC), Need For Speed may have been delayed from November to December, but it’ll still be here before the end of 2022.
Even though EA achieves this goal, Need For Speed fans have always had to wait for a new game longer than they have had to wait a very long time. It’s now been three years since Heat, the last game in the series. The last time there was a three-year gap between Need For Speed titles was in 1997.