The Open World Racing Game, Created by Award-Winning Developer
Criterion Games, Shatters Franchise Records with the Reimagining of the
Best-Selling Title in Need for Speed History
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Make trouble for the cops, for your friends or just for fun! Electronic
Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and Criterion Games today announced that the
latest entry in the critically-acclaimed Need for Speed™
franchise, Need for Speed Most Wanted, is now available at
retail stores and on Origin.com in North America. After shattering
franchise records with a total of 43 award nominations and winning the
prestigious Best Racing Game award at this year's Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3), from the E3 Game Critics, Need for Speed
Most Wanted is poised for global success. In Spain, Official
PlayStation Magazine awarded Most Wanted with a 9.4/10 and called
it, "the best online multiplayer experience ever." Game Informer, in
North America, gave Most Wanted a 9/10 and described the action
as an "exhilarating experience." Edge Magazine, in the UK, also awarded Most
Wanted a 9/10 and credited the game for setting a "new standard in
open world driving games."
Need for Speed Most Wanted puts social competition at the heart
of the experience, and lets players compete to become the Most Wanted
amongst people they care about the most - their friends. Need for
Speed Most Wanted is powered by Autolog 2, an innovative online
technology that automatically tracks and compares everything players do
in the game against their friends, from earning Speed Points to
achieving best race times and more. Autolog 2 also generates
personalized gameplay recommendations, which are integrated throughout
the open world, fueling competition and rivalries. If there's something
to do, there's someone to beat. How can you tell which friend has the
furthest jump through a billboard? Autolog 2 puts their face on it. With
Autolog 2's deep and powerful social integration, Need for Speed Most
Wanted has been declared, "the ultimate social game" by IGN,
engaging friends unlike ever before, and allowing players to leave their
mark in the open world across their social network. Winning never felt
so good.
"With our years of experience creating critically acclaimed blockbuster
hits, Need for Speed Most Wanted is Criterion's vision to shake
up the series and breathe new life into the genre," said Matt Webster,
Executive Producer, Criterion Games. "We're throwing years of convention
out the window and creating an open world game with an open structure
that lets players drive whatever car they want, how they want, without
consequences. We've built an experience full of variety that enables
freedom and choice for the player to play the game the way they choose.
Take down friends in a race to the finish, explore the city to find new
cars, flash past speed cameras, jump through billboards or take on an
Autolog Recommendation. Not only do players have complete freedom,
they're rewarded for everything they do. With friends so naturally
embedded into the heart of the experience, Need for Speed Most Wanted
is the most socially-connected game of this generation."
Developed by award-winning studio, Criterion Games, Need for Speed
Most Wanted features a seamless, nonstop multiplayer experience,
with no menus and no lobbies - just competition. Gamers are thrust into
a continuous playlist of different events with persistent scoring and
endless rewards. Players must fight for position on the start line, or
turn around to take out oncoming rivals at the finish. Furthermore, with
the all-new CloudCompete technology, players can extend the game beyond
the console with a cloud-based scoring system that tracks Speed Points
and game accomplishments across multiple platforms through http://www.needforspeed.com.
For the first time, players can rack up points on the couch while
playing multiplayer on the console and then top off their Speed Points
while on the go on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android or PlayStation®
Vita.
Need for Speed Most Wanted is now available in North America and
will be available November 1 in Europe for the Xbox 360® videogame and
entertainment system with Kinect support, PlayStation®3 computer
entertainment system, PC, PlayStation Vita, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch,
and Android. Need for Speed Most Wanted is available for $6.99
from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.
For more information on Need for Speed Most Wanted, visit http://www.needforspeed.com/most-wanted.
For more information on Need for Speed, visit http://www.needforspeed.com
or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/needforspeed
and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/needforspeed.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services
for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones,
tablets and social networks. EA has more than 220 million registered
players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such
as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and
Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass
Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd.
Battlefield and Battlefield 3 are trademarks of EA Digital Illusions CE
AB. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective
owners and used with permission. PlayStation is a registered trademark
of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of
the Microsoft group of companies and used with permission. Facebook is a
registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
EA Games Label
Amanda Taggart, 650-628-2974
PR Director
ataggart@ea.com
Shirley
Chu, 514-664-8207
PR Manager
shirleyc@ea.com
Melissa
Ojeda, 650-628-7870
Senior Publicist
mojeda@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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