Electronic Arts announced that the official title of their next entry in the Need For Speed franchise is Need For Speed: Payback. Ghost Games previously announced that this newest 2017 outing would sport an offline mode and that you would be able to pause the game. Standard features most gamers are used to have been confirmed to make a return in a $60 game after they were made absent in the 2015 outing of Need For Speed.
With Ghost Games at the helm and running on the Frostbite 3 game engine, Need For Speed: Payback will put players in the roles of three street racers. There’s Mac, Jess and Tyler. Players will journey around the open-world of Fortune Valley to complete missions and raise the profiles of their selected character.
The story mode will center around the player-character getting betrayed and then having to get revenge, identical to the 2014 Need For Speed movie.
The announcement was accompanied by a debut trailer that you can check out below.
They announced in the press release that the game will have “blockbuster” moments and will also feature Hollywood-style set-pieces for players to race through. Whenever a press release talks about “set-pieces” in a racing game, I’m instantly reminded of those big moments in the game Split/Second where the tracks would completely alter according to the set-piece triggers. That was a cool game, by the way. A shame it didn’t get a sequel so we could find out more about that rival group that invaded the series.
Anyway, EA really wanted to hammer home the “blockbuster” element of the game, with Marcus Nilsson, the executive producer on the game, commenting in the press release, saying…
“We’re still delivering everything our fans love about the franchise – the deepest customization, an impressive roster of cars, intense races and open world pursuits – but with Need for Speed Payback, we’re bringing together all those elements in an all new blockbuster driving experience. From the story, to the different characters you can drive as, to the varied missions, to the edge-of-your-seat moments, this is our vision for what action driving entertainment means today.”
They repeatedly mention that Need For Speed: Payback will have the “deepest” customization feature in the series yet. I’m assuming that means all the fine-tuning options from Need For Speed: Shift, combined with all the livery and body-kit modifications from Need For Speed: Underground?
Anyway, cops are making a return, open-world challenges will be present, multiplayer will be available, and you can actually pause the game.
The story itself will center around the three aforementioned characters getting betrayed by a mob group known as The House. The criminal organization basically runs the city of Fortune Valley, so Jess, Tyler and Mac team up in order to get revenge against the mobsters.
You can look for the game to launch on November 10th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
