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Title of new Need for Speed game leaks ahead of Thursday’s reveal

By George Yang October 4, 2022

Electronic Arts recently teased that a reveal for a new Need for Speed game was coming soon, and then announced that a trailer would be shown at 8 a.m. PT on October 6. But two days before the event, EA’s own site accidentally leaked the name of the upcoming game, which we now know is called Need for Speed Unbound.

The leaked artwork is in a more cel-shaded and cartoonish style, with a car trailing yellow-colored smoke and graffiti plastered on it. The graffiti includes iconography like the anarchy symbol, nuclear symbol, and dollar sign.

the new Need for Speed game is titled Unbound (art leaked from EA's own website) pic.twitter.com/ndjbJ3eS1L

— Wario64 (@Wario64) October 4, 2022

No other details about the game were leaked, but there were some rumors floating around that the next Need for Speed game would be for the latest generation of consoles only. It will reportedly release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, while leaving PlayStation 4 and Xbox One behind.

As for a potential release date, EA chief studio officer Laura Miele said last year that the next Need for Speed game would be handled by Criterion Games and will release by March 2023. If Need for Speed Unbound intends to launch before the end of the year, it would face stiff competition in November from the likes of God of War Ragnarök, Sonic Frontiers, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

In December, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and the Callisto Protocol are the heavy hitters closing out the year. January 2023 has Forspoken, Fire Emblem Engage, and the Dead Space remake. February has Dead Island 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and Like a Dragon: Ishin! Finally, March has Resident Evil 4 remake, as well as Skull and Bones.

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George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…

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Need for Speed Heat player driving in rain.

The Need for Speed franchise is probably the most well-known arcade racing series of all time. It's been around for 25 years and has made appearances on virtually every major console since. Some of that acclaim is due to the fact that a few Need for Speed entries are among the best racing games of all time -- most notably the Hot Pursuit and Underground games. But Need for Speed has fallen into a rut as of late. Electronic Arts and current series developer Ghost Games will look to change that with Need for Speed Heat, the recently announced the 16th mainline entry in the series that will return it to itsr and hopefully move it forward, too.

Ahead of Need for Speed Heat's launch, take a look at everything we currently know about the upcoming street racing game.
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Need for Speed Heat is broken up into two distinct different styles of play. By day, you compete in the Speedhunters Showdown, a sanctioned racing series where you earn cash to go towards purchasing car and character customizations.