One of the top features of the highly celebrated Need for Speed series is its age, while always delivering a brand new racing game with each year. With age comes experience, evolution of thoughts and ideas, and the latest NFS title – Need for Speed Rivals is a product of that evolution.
Executive producer Marcus Nilsson was recently in an interview with Gamingbolt to speak about the franchise changes in the upcoming game, the new AllDrive mode, and the utilization of Frostbite 3.
“Need for Speed Rivals is powered by the advanced Frostbite 3 engine which allows us to bring Redview County to realistic life with stunning visuals and weather that are constantly changing. Frostbite 3 also allows us to create the most realistic and beautiful supercars for fans” said Nilsson. “For the first time in any racing game, Need for Speed Rivals destroys the line between single player, co-op and competitive multiplayer with AllDrive so that you are automatically connected to your friend’s racing world. It’s one game, one experience – Paths will cross, creating a world where no two moments will ever be the same.”
Speaking about AllDrive mode, which allows transition from single-player to multiplayer seamlessly, and if there will be opportunities for racers to come in place of AI drivers during races, Nilsson stated that with players in NFS Rivals, “their world can collide with their friend’s world at any point in time. When you start up the game, you will be able to see if your friends are online, if they aren’t you will be able to challenge AI or other players that are in the game. Once your friends join, they can decide to team up with you or take you down at any moment.”
“Rivals is all one game. Anything that you complete in Rivals whether it be while your friends are away or in a different part of the world completing different challenges or while you are competing against them will stay with you for your entire game.”
Speaking on locations, Nilsson stated that the game is set in Redview County, a specifically designed place “for driving in the world’s best cars at insanely high speeds. The world is full of gameplay and is well over 100 miles (16X16 km) of open roads. It is more coast with long strips of highway where races and cops can get up to 200+ MPH.”
As far as generational differences go, Nilsson confirmed that the core experience is very similar across current and next generation consoles, as the company is committed to pushing the boundaries of every console it works on.
“The power of next gen consoles allows for even stronger visual fidelity which you can see with Frostbite 3 and a more connected social experience that we’re delivering through AllDrive, the high stakes scoring system and Need for Speed Network.”
Need for Speed Rivals is set for a November release, with the game set to be a launch title for both PS4 and Xbox One when either console launches.