EA Announces Need for Speed: The Run; Release Date & First Trailer

Electronic Arts announced this morning that the next entry in the action racing side of the Need for Speed franchise is set for release on November 15 in North America and on November 17 in Europe for PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and Nintendo 3DS.

Developed by EA Black Box, Need for Speed: The Run will take players on a illicit, high-octane run across the United States. Starting in San Francisco and ending in New York, players will have to not only best the competition but avoid law enforcement as well in classic, NFS style.

Need for Speed: The Run uses EA DICE's Frostbite 2 engine for the PC and HD console versions, and the Autolog function found in the past two NFS titles will be incorporated as well.

EA released the first teaser trailer for the game, which we've embedded below. You can also view the trailer on our Need for Speed: The Run video gallery.

Electronic Arts Press Release

EA TAKES GAMERS ON THE RACE OF THEIR LIVES IN

NEED FOR SPEED THE RUN

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – April 29, 2011 – Get ready to rip up the road! Adrenaline junkies and speed fiends will find themselves on the wrong side of the law this November when they race for their lives in Need for Speed™ The Runfrom Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS). The hottest blockbuster this holiday is a game that takes players on a heart-pounding cross-country race from San Francisco to New York. Launching on November 15, Need for Speed The Run lures players into an underground world of illicit, high-stakes racing. The heat is on – and it isn’t just the fuzz who are after you. Entering the race is just the beginning as you blow across borders, weave through dense urban traffic, rocket down icy mountain passes and navigate narrow canyons at breakneck speeds. Powered by DICE’s state-of-the-art Frostbite™ 2 engine, Need for Speed The Run takes the action racing genre to new heights with stunning visuals and car physics that hug the road even at top speeds all built around a gripping storyline. The cars are hot, the racing is intense and the story will have you at the edge of your seat… all the way from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Empire State building.

“This is the year that Need for Speed goes to the next level,” said Jason DeLong, Executive Producer at EA. “We think that Need for Speed The Run is going to surprise people with its intense, thrilling story and big action feel. But the game would be nothing without hot cars and crazy-fast chases. So that is what we’re delivering -- explosive racing that will have players flirting with disaster at 200-miles an hour.”

Using the groundbreaking Frostbite 2 engine, Need for Speed The Run will set the bar with unparalleled visual quality and enhanced physics. Need for Speed The Run will also take immersive storytelling to a new level with cutting edge performances that will draw the player into a world with no speed limits, rules or allies. Autolog, the Need for Speed franchise’s revolutionary social competition functionality, is back and better in Need for Speed The Run as it will continue to reinvent how people play games, track career progression and compare game stats.