Tagged: black box

EA boss: "We don't want to burn out Burnout developer"

Criterion is best known for the excellent Burnout series and the well received NFS installment Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. However, they work for EA, who are known to make their studios churn out a game every year. EA boss Frank Gibeau, interestingly, noted that would be the “worst possible idea”, adding that it would “limit their creativity and hurt quality.”

Choice words, but what about meeting customer demand? The same formula Activision applies to its cash cow – alternate studios every year. The upcoming NFS title is based on the Frostbite 2 engine, which also powers Battlefield 3. It is being developed by Black Box in Vancouver.

Need for Speed: The Run is set for release this November. It is not known what Criterion is currently working on, but many are speculating a new entry in the Burnout franchise.

Need for Speed Shift Dated

Seeing as how the Need for Speed franchise has become an annual one, what would 2009 be without a NFS game? EA sent out word that Need for Speed SHIFT, the latest entry in the series, will hit stores on September 18.

Deviating from the arcade gameplay of the series, the game will offer simulation gameplay, featuring some of the world’s most iconic racing tracks, including the storied Brand’s Hatch in the UK. It will also include high-performance cars such as the Pagani Zonda, Porsche 911 GT2 and Lotus Elise.

The game is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with Black Box and Patrick Soderlund. Slightly Mad consists of people who worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2.

NFS Shift is due out on PC, PSP, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Saw 2 Actress to Star in Carbon

In typical Need for Speed fashion, EA has announced that Emmanuelle Vaugier will star in NFS: Carbon this Autumn. You may remember her from Saw 2 and 40 Days and 40 Nights, as well as CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. Vaugier will star as Nikki, the ex-girlfriend of the hero who has returned to town to face his “mysterious” past.

“Being able to work in a videogame for the first time and working with the Need For Speed Carbon team at EA has been a great experience for me. This is a game that evolves the racing genre, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it”, Vaugier said. “Playing the role of Nikki allows me to take a completely fresh approach to acting and push the boundaries of the creative process.”

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Carbon will seemingly feature the same video-acting style found in Most Wanted, but will hopefully be better as David Footman, who has worked on Hollywood blockbuster films such as X-Men (1 and 3), Fantastic Four and The Day After Tomorrow, has directed the green screen video shoot with Vaugier.

Being developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia, Need for Speed: Carbon will be released this Autumn for all next-gen platforms, on top of all current-gen platforms, handhelds, PC and mobile.