It's time for another entry into the Need for Speed franchise with Unbound. So, let's start our engines and find out everything there is to know about Need for Speed Unbound.
I’m sure most of us would agree that Need for Speed was a huge influence on us gamers. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone that can’t remember their favorite entry in the franchise. For me, NFS Carbon and NFS Heat were my favorites. I’d found the customization options and races exhilarating. There wasn’t anything better than winning the Portview Circuit Race with my McLaren P1 GTR.
I fondly remember my memories with NFS Heat, but those memories could be dethroned in 2022. Electronic Arts confirmed that Criterion is developing another entry into the Need for Speed franchise. And we already know it's name: Unbound is the next entry into the Need for Speed franchise. And it's still coming in 2022!
Aren’t you excited? I am. We haven’t seen Criterion develop another NFS game since 2013. That’s when Electronic Arts repositioned them to Battlefront and Battlefield. But everyone is starting to wonder what Criterion Games, known for the legendary Burnout series, will do with Need for Speed. So, what do we know about this upcoming title?
Need For Speed Unbound Release Date & Platforms
It has been confirmed that Need for Speed Unbound will be released on December 2, 2022. And it will be Next-Gen-exclusive, meaning that it will only release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Features & Story Mode In Unbound – Back to the Streets
After a bunch of leaks, Need for Speed Unbound has finally been revealed. EA dropped a pretty cool reveal trailer (which you can watch below) and a whole lot of info on the upcoming racing game. The first thing everyone will notice is the look: the game is going with a full-on comic style. This is supposed to show the series going back to its roots in underground racing, but will surely be very divisive. Especially the character models look... weird. The car action looks cool though, we like it and we're sure people will get used to it.
Talking about car action: Unbound will feature a new playable city called Lakeshore City. Like in previous titles, Lakeshore will be an open world playground. In it, players will experience a campaign, that will see them raise to the top of the racing world. The "immersive narrative" of the campaign features on brothers who were robbed and the player tries to reclaim a priceless car in the ultimate street race. I know, sounds cliché. But the storytelling was never the strong suit of this series.
You will participate in races and challenges to earn money, which you need to enter The Grand, a weekly race and the crown jewel of Unbound. And of course, this is still Need for Speed: you will have to fight off cops chasing after you. Heat is back as a mechanic and will build up over time, until you start being chased by police cars. Classic stuff, and always a fun time.
While the campaign of Unbound is single player focused, there will also be cross-play multiplayer. How exactly you will be able to race off with other players, and if something like The Grand will be integrated in the multiplayer, is not clear yet. The campaign sounds pretty cool though. Creative director Kieran Crimmins explained how the structure will work in Unbound:
“So when you go in a race, there's a buy-in, which basically, you have to be able to play the race and then you can win that back with a reward if you do well or you can lose that money. So you have to make a choice in which race you want to do and what buy-ins you're comfortable with. Every single race also gives you a little bit of heat. So if you do lots and lots of races in one session, your heat can build up and you'll take a huge gamble on the money that you're carrying around as well. So there's a consequence there.”
As we said, the multiplayer hasn't been completely detailed yet, but is supposed to be a separate mode that is "as low friction as possible". You are supposed to be able to drive around Lakeshore with your friends and engage in races and events. The game is also getting new content post launch, but the business model hasn't been revealed yet. While some content is going to be free, Unbound might get microtransactions or even a battle pass, but that is not clear yet.
As the game will be next-gen exclusive, the expectations for the graphical quality and the gamefeel are high. The developers promise a "super sophisticated physical simulation" thanks to the new physics system and exhilarating, high speed action thanks to the 4K 60FPS fidelity. We can't wait to dive into the game ourselves and hope, the racing delivers on its promises.
And no, we didn't forget to include that famous rapper ASAP Rocky will also be in the game. He will actually get his own mode called Takeover Scene, but that unfortunately hasn't been detailed yet.
Is NfS Unbound Getting A Car Customization Tool?
Of course it is. Car customization has always been a big part of the game and will also be strongly featured in Unbound. While the game will feature a ton of famous cars (which have already been revealed on the Unbound website), players are supposed to get tons of possibilities to make the cars their own. Crimmins promises "thousands of thousands" of different possibilities and a tiered car system, similar to Forza Horizon.
Is Codemasters Helping With The New Need For Speed?
We're happy to confirm that on February 10, Tom Henderson announced that Codemasters Cheshire is assisting with the development of NFS Unbound. This is a massive announcement after Electronic Arts acquired Codemasters in February 2021.
It’s unlikely that anyone anticipated Codemasters Cheshire would support the development of Unbound. But it makes perfect sense because this developer is known for their strong motorsport games. Unfortunately, it is unsure how Codemasters will be involved in the development cycle. Their involvement could be minor or massive. Only time will tell.
Will Need For Speed Unbound Part Of The Game Pass On Xbox?
I’m confident that Electronic Arts will allow Microsoft to release NFS Unbound on Xbox Game Pass. Why, might you ask? Every recent entry into the franchise is available for download right now and EA Play is available on Game Pass. That means that you should be able to play Unbound on release for 10 hours via Game Pass, before you have to buy it. We expect the game to come to the service at some point down the line.
Game Trailer Released
After a lot of speculation and anticipation, EA released the reveal trailer for Need for Speed Unbound. It really shows off everything that's new with this game, from the crazy style, to the night-time athmosphere of the street races and the customization. Enjoy!