It seems EA's long-idling racing franchise isn't destined for the scrap heap at all, as the publisher has unveiled three new Need for Speed titles across several platforms. In an interview with Gamespot, EA's veep of marketing, Kevin Munro, insists that "the new brand strategy around three specific genres will keep the game fresh and players entertained." This refreshing and oh-so-entertaining trio of titles includes:

    * Need for Speed: Shift (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP) -- A "hardcore racing simulation" overseen by Black Box executive producer Michael Mann, and Patrick Soderlund, the co-founder of DICE and current senior vice president of EA Games Europe. External developer Slightly Mad Studios will be responsible for putting a realistic spin on the franchise.
    * Need for Speed: Nitro (Wii, DS) -- As you might expect, this one will feature a "unique visual style," courtesy of EA Montreal. Nitro promises to take full advantage of the unique controls on offer for both platforms, but without sacrificing depth. According to Munro, "We do not want to fall into the trap of creating a 'Need for Speed Lite.'"
    * Need for Speed: World Online (PC) -- Jointly developed by Black Box and EA Shanghai, this free-to-play online racer is set to launch in Asia this Summer, with a North American release slated for next Winter.

You can look for Shift and Nitro on North American shelves sometime during Fall 2009. We'll update as soon as we satiate our early-morning need for speed and overt drug references.

EA Revamps Need for Speed
Four diverse new entries scheduled for faltering series.
by Martin Robinson, IGN UK

UK, January 30, 2009 - EA has unveiled four new Need for Speed games across all major current platforms, taking the series into diverse new directions as the company attempts to revive the faltering series.

Need for Speed Undercover, the last entry in a series that has taken several directions since it debuted on the 3DO in 1994, was a disappointing misfire that mustered a mediocre 5.0 when reviewed late last year. The series will now take a multi-pronged approach, headed up by Need for Speed Shift, a more simulation-minded take on street racing. Developed by Slightly Mad Studios – a team with proven racing pedigree having produced titles such as GT Legends and GTR 2 – it will offer a much more realistic experience than previous Need for Speed games.

"The urban underground was a manifestation of style in some past Need for Speed games for sure," said EA marketing man Keith Munro to Eurogamer, "but Shift focuses less on these style cues and more on mirroring the driver experience, that athleticism of being in a wickedly-intense race, and what it really feels like to be behind the wheel."

Wii and DS will be getting a more light-hearted take on the series with Need for Speed: Nitro, developed by EA Montreal. Munro told Eurogamer, "Need for Speed Nitro on the Wii and DS will not be a Mario Kart clone - Nintendo already does an excellent job with that. Instead, we are evolving the arcade racer with a fresh and unique visual style that is very Need for Speed. The game will be rich and deep and will appeal to experienced arcade racers as well as casual players."

Need for Speed: World Online is the most ambitious of the new games, a free-to-play massively multiplayer game that will launch in Asian markets before going West. "This Play 4 Free action racing game will give Need for Speed fans the most licensed cars, parts and game modes ever in Need for Speed's history," said Munro, continuing, "Players will prove their racing supremacy through the sophisticated online matchmaking features and fully customise their profile and their ride."

Finally there's to be a further Need for Speed game from Undercover developer Black Box – though details on this particular entry are sparse.

Munro said of the huge expansion to the Need for Speed franchise, "This isn't about quantity, this is about crafting different games for different audiences and their unique tastes in the driving category. The motivation was purely driven by our understanding of racing gamers and their desire to experience different kinds of racing games. I would say that our strategy is the inverse of milking; it is an intentionally non-traditional approach."

EA is currently holding press events detailing the new directions for the Need for Speed franchise, so stay tuned to IGN for further details.

Looks like a copy of Racedriver: Grid

I don't think its another GRiD. I think its another GTR-2. Simulation type.
Am not putting any hopes at all. Coz after Most Wanted, every NFS series went down the drain for me.

very disappointed from NFS undercover.... so, i need a demo or review from players then only decide buy or not......

There Is A Fourth, Mysterious Need For Speed Game In Development

EA have hit the big, red reset button on the Need For Speed franchise. As we heard, three new games are coming. No, wait. Seems there are four new games coming.

Blackbox - despite recent layoffs - still have the manpower and the time to work on not just NFS: World Online, but a "future action title in the franchise". Action? Since Shift is going the simulation route, Nitro the Mario Kart one and World Online the...online market, could he mean a return to the get-your-cans-out-luv, bright pink Honda racer boy theme of the last few games?

EA Games' Keith Munro, meanwhile, has said the sudden reboot of the series has nothing to do with recent financial woes, and more to do with EA's recent move towards "crafting different games for different audiences and their unique tastes in the driving category".