You play as either cops or illegal racers in Need for Speed Rivals, which is an open-world title set in fictional Redview County. Racers’ rewards are tied to dodging cops, driving as crazily as possible and capturing those stunts on video. Cops, of course, are trying to stop all of that.

Rivals is being made by Ghost Games, a new studio in Sweden staffed by former developers from DICE. Ghost Games executive producer Marcus Nilsson worked on the Shift franchise and built Shift 2: Unleashed with co-workers. Former Criterion director Craig Sullivan is part of that team now and Nilsson calls Rivals a co-operative effort between Ghost and Criterion. Yes, they’re aiming to make the next Need for Speed an eye-popping visual feast that takes advantage of DICE’s Frostbite 3 engine. But, Marcus Nilsson says that it’s connectivity—and not graphics—that’s pushing the evolution of NFS.

Source: Kotaku

Cops & Racers risk everything on the open road with the new AllDrive Feature that seamlessly connects friends into one online racing world.

Need for Speed™ Rivals, a white-knuckle action/racing game created by an inspired new development team, using a powerful engine and delivering next-generation gameplay. Need for Speed Rivals is being developed by EA’s newest studio Ghost Games, who bring new thinking and innovation to the Need for Speed franchise in partnership with the expert racing team at Criterion Games. Built on the Frostbite™ 3 game engine, Need for Speed Rivals captures the adrenaline and intensity of the street’s ultimate rivalry between cops and racers, in a stunning open road environment. Need for Speed Rivals is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on November 19th, 2013 and will also be released on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year.

In Need for Speed Rivals, gamers play as either a cop or racer, where each side of the law has its own set of high stakes challenges, rewards and consequences. As a racer, the goal is to become infamous for taking risks behind the wheel and capturing your most intense escapes on video for the world to see. The more cops players evade, the more Speed Points they collect, enabling them to unlock new cars and items. Keep raising the stakes race after race to become an ever-more valuable target to the cops – but risk losing it all if busted. As a cop, players work together as part of a team in pursuit of racers, earning prominence and rising in the ranks of the Police Force with every bust. Achieving higher ranks unlocks new police only cars and more powerful pursuit tech.

Ghost Games also announced today the long-awaited return of Ferrari to the Need for Speed franchise. For the first time in seven years, gamers can get behind the wheel of some of the most luxurious, desirable automobiles on the planet, including the F12berlinetta. Spokesperson Stefano Saporetti, Head of Brand Operations in Ferrari added, “We are back in the Need For Speed franchise, starting with Need for Speed Rivals, as we want the fans of this world famous and award winning racing game saga to be able again to feel the excitement of the Ferrari Brand and cars.”

At the heart of Need for Speed Rivals is AllDrive, an innovative new online feature that allows gamers to seamlessly transition from playing alone, to playing with friends, eliminating the line between single player and multiplayer. Players will have to keep one eye on their rearview mirror as friends will be able to enter and exit races on-the-fly, creating a world where no two events will ever be the same.

“The Need for Speed franchise has been an industry leader bringing social competition to the forefront in games,” said Marcus Nilsson, Executive Producer, Ghost Games. “For the first time, players will have the freedom to seamlessly go from single player to co-op to multiplayer. In Need for Speed Rivals we are creating one game experience with one progression, where the freedom to play with friends is more fluid and accessible than ever before.”

Need for Speed Rivals pushes the limits of racing games with all-new and improved features:

Next-Gen Racing – Redview County is brought to life with stunning, next-generation detail and weather effects that force drivers to master the elements, as well as the competition.

Need for Speed Network Powered by Autolog – Gamers can compare stats and challenge their friends anytime, anywhere and then easily share their accomplishments with both friends and rivals.

Personalisation – Drivers customise their ride with fresh paintjobs, custom license plates, liveries, decals, rims, and performance upgrades.

Pursuit and Evasion Tech – Street racing explodes with 11 upgradeable gadgets including turbo boosts, jammers and EMPs for racers, and shockwaves, roadblocks and helicopters for cops.

Players eager to bust racers from day one can pre-order Need for Speed Rivals at participating retailers and receive the Need for Speed Rivals Ultimate Cop Pack at no additional cost*. This pack offers exclusive access to a powerful collection of items including the Nissan GT-R Black Edition cop car, advanced pursuit technology, and a custom livery.

EA.com

Features:

All-Drive

Seamlessly join a world where your friends are already racing and chasing using All-Drive, a revolutionary new feature in Need for Speed. Singleplayer is no longer isolated from multiplayer: you and your friends can all share the same game, same race, and same chase at any time. Come play in the dynamic world of Redview County where your race and your friend’s pursuit can collide together.

High-Stakes Rivalry

Racers are lone wolves out for their own glory; driving agile cars built for ragged-edge drifting and high-speed getaways. Cops work in teams to rid the streets of racers; driving aggressive vehicles built for off-road shortcuts and cunning, aggressive tactics. Switch roles whenever you like, and build your career by progressing up the ranks of each side to become the most feared cop or the ultimate law breaking racer. Fueling the rivalry is a new scoring system that allows you to put your speed points on the line for greater rewards. In Redview County, there can only be one winner.

Next-Gen Racing

The power of the Frostbite 3 gaming engine brings the breathtaking scope of Redview County to life. Every detail of the game world is rendered in stunning, realistic graphics, while particle physics make weather conditions come alive. Race in rain, snow, hail, dust storms and more. Connect on the Need for Speed Network to drop roadblocks or alert friends of inbound cops, compare your progress with other players, and share videos of your most intense races.

Your Car, Your Identity

Power up your car with the latest upgrades and personalize your bodywork with fresh paintjobs, liveries, custom license plates, rim colors, and decals to show off your car to the world. You can save different configurations and keep a variety of car packages on alert to leave your mark no matter the situation.

Pursuit and Evasion Technology

Intense racing moments are made even more thrilling with access to different upgradeable pieces for each side. Racers evade cops using technology such as jammers and electromagnetic pulses. Cops are armed for aggressive busts, using shockwaves, roadblocks, helicopter support and more. Outfit your car to stay one step ahead of your rivals.

PRE-ORDER RIVALS TODAY
GET THE ULTIMATE COP PACK

Exclusive access to the
Nissan GT-R Black Edition
Early access to level 2 gadget technology
Exclusive livery options

Can't wait to drive that Agera. Hopefully the controls aren't like MW2012

Looks like CG.. i'd be happy if the next generation graphics are really here.

Hmm, I wonder why I think i heard this name before?

Hmm...

Hmm...

AHA! The PSP version!

"The first people we hired to Ghost were low level physics programmers because, as you know, how the car feels is where it starts and ends. If the car is not really awesome to drive, don’t bother doing the rest. The heritage here from Criterion is hugely helpful. In my opinion, Criterion has the best arcade handling cars, and especially the best cameras connected to those cars."

Update:

Pre-Orders benefits:
GET THE ULTIMATE COP PACK

Exclusive access to the
Nissan GT-R Black Edition
Early access to level 2 gadget technology
Exclusive livery options

EA had only announced the name of the new game, a stupidly short teaser and barely any other information, now, they had announced the preorder bonuses already?

Oh, not to forget that they will be using the same shitty drifting "arcade" physics from HP2010 and MW2012, i'll pass. Criterion is a shitty studio to be involved in any NFS game.

Won't be surprised by more DLCs in future, then again I'll wait for the gameplay trailer before making a call, the graphics looks amazing anyway. Just hope they don't ruin it like MW.

Criterion had ruined 2 of my favourite NFS's reboot, I aint holding my breath this time. Graphics doesnt mean much, if the gameplay is as bad as driving a slot car on a fixed rail.

I think EA should just kill NFS franchise since it is incredibly mediocre these days.

its long dead after NFSU

It was revived with Shift series, then, died again after SMS left.

Shift's physics is no where as good as most games, as it is flawed, but at least the cars are actually fun to drive, compared to the crap that Criterion spew out these days.