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Need For Speed is always-online, social media ‘likes’ are currency

Need for Speed 2015

The most recent Need For Speed games have all been pretty heavy on the online functionality side of things, especially since the dawn of Autolog. This year’s Need For Speed is a purely online affair though, and it’s all down to your social media profile. 

“We’ve been pretty big with Autolog throughout the years and, as we know, it’s a really powerful feature,” said executive producer Marcus Nilsson in a chat with OXM. “This time around we’re going to give it more of a human voice. It will treat your friend’s play as if it is part of the narrative experience.”

“We also have a new snapshot system as well, which is taking pictures of a lot of different moments – [they go] out to the Need for Speed network where people can ‘like’ them, and those likes are being pushed back into the game as currency. So you get progression from sharing your photos.”

I get the feeling we’re about to see plenty of riffs on the Facebook trope of ‘linking’ things to bring world change. “Get this picture to 1 million likes and I can get a Bugatti Veyron!” But does being online-only change how you feel about the game?