While Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit hasn’t even come out yet, EA is already talking about another Need for Speed title set for next year, but this time around production will be handed off to EA development studio BlackBox.
BlackBox is probably best known in the racing world for their work on the Need for Speed Underground series which remains a fan-favorite till this day. EA Europe VP Patrick Soderlund stated the following:
“We want to reach a mass-market audience, and Hot Pursuit is a more mass-market appealing product than Shift,”
“We want to come back with an action adventure type of product on an annual basis, but from a developer that’s been working on it for a couple of years.”
“Maybe there are two or three developers going at it every second year. Then, when the market permits and when we feel ready, we’ll come up with Shift versions as well.”
Unless EA can manage to crank out a good Need for Speed title each year, it’s going to be tough to support this sort of development cycle. Ever since EA hired Criterion to help develop the newest iteration in the series, a Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit revamp, things are looking good, and shows that if a good developer puts significant time into a title that it will convey a sense of quality along with awesome gameplay. Let’s hope this latest NFS title isn’t just bait to bring us back into the fold and then overwhelm us with mediocre variations year-after-year, because we should all remember just how bad ProStreet was.
We’ll be sure to bring you the latest info on the newest entry in the series as soon as we get it. Until then, be sure to stay tuned to PlayStation LifeStyle and keep your eye out for our Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit review when it goes live later this month.
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