It’s been two years since Need for Speed: Payback, and given the current schedule of the series – one comes out every two years, usually – we’re due a new game in the Need for Speed franchise this year. Publisher EA has been teasing a new entry in its premier racing series for a while now, and just yesterday a countdown appeared on the official Need for Speed website.
That countdown’s now up, and the next game in the series is titled Need for Speed: Heat. The game’s release date is November 8 – although anyone signed up with Origin Access will be able to play the game three days earlier, on November 5. The game’s being made by Ghost Games, who have been the primary developer on the franchise since 2013’s Need for Speed: Rivals.
Riley Cooper, Creative Director at Ghost Games, said in the game’s press release, “our fans have been clear that they want more cars, more customization, and more challenges, and we’re tuning up on every aspect. From your character’s style to your car’s performance and your driving style, we’re fuelling everyone’s creativity with this new game.”
Released alongside the game’s first details was the reveal trailer, which you can check out below. It shows off Need for Speed: Heat’s new Miami-like location of Palm City, as well as a little bit of the car customization options that’ll be available to players when they get their hands on the wheel.
Of course, there will also be the usual range of pre-order bonuses and deluxe edition content. Pre-order customers will get a K.S Edition styled Mitsubishi Evolution X, but if you pre-order the Deluxe Edition you’ll also get K.S Edition styled BMW i8 Coupe, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport vehicles – as well as exclusive character clothing and in-game currency.
The name ‘Need for Speed: Heat’ was rumoured for a while, but the evidence for it was mostly shot down as fan-made hoaxes. Obviously whoever came up with the title in the first place was correct, anyway.