12:43 Uhr - Wie EA nun per Pressemeldung verlauten ließ, wird der von den Slightly Mad Studios („GT Legends“, „GTR 2“) entwickelte nächste Teil der "Need for Speed"- Reihe am 22. September in den USA an den Start gehen - und zwar für PS3, PSP, PC und Xbox 360. Europäer kommen bereits 5 Tage vorher, sprich am 17. September, in den Genuss des Rennspiels. Die ganze (englische) Pressemitteilung UND erstes Videomaterial gibt es in der News.

Need for Speed SHIFT from EA Races into Retail This September Monday March 23, 6:00 am ET

Delivering a True Driver’s Experience, Need for Speed SHIFT Pushes Authentic Racing Genre to the Next Level

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) announced today that Need for Speed™ SHIFT, the all-new authentic racing game in the Need for Speed series, will hit stores in Europe on September 17 and North America on September 22, 2009. Need for Speed SHIFT brings a true driver’s experience to some of the world’s most iconic racing tracks, including the storied Brand’s Hatch in the UK. The game also features the largest roster of high-performance cars in Need for Speed history including race cars such as the Pagani Zonda F, Porsche 911 GT2 and Lotus Elise.

“With Need for Speed SHIFT, we set out to create a racing game that pushes the genre and delivers something never before seen in a Need for Speed title,” said Patrick Soderlund, Senior Vice President at EA Games Europe. “By focusing on the driver’s experience through the first-person view, we are able to capture the high-speed intensity and gripping emotions of racing.”

Players are thrust into the loud, intense, and athletic experience of racing a car from the driver’s perspective through the combination of perception based G-forces, the hyper reality of the cockpit view, and the all-new brutally disorienting crash dynamic. Need for Speed SHIFT features an accurate, accessible physics-based driving model that allows you to feel every impact, every change of track surface and every last bit of grip as you push yourself to the edge.

Need for Speed SHIFT is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with Black Box and Patrick Soderlund. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2. The PSP version is being developed by EA’s Bright Light studio.

Need for Speed SHIFT will be released on PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PC and PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) in fall 2009. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com. Press can download assets at http://info.ea.com.