New Need for Speed Unbound leaks, looks full-on anime

 

Members of the Need for Speed subreddit discovered the leaked listing for Need for Speed Unbound via Japanese store Neowing. According to the listing, the new game will be released in December. Electronic Arts plans to make an announcement regarding the new game on Thursday.

According to reports, Unbound will be revealed in a 90-second teaser. The game will be centered on multiplayer and would include a feature dubbed “meetups,” in which users may team up to compete in races.

Another leak provides the first screenshots for Need for Speed Unbound, which you can see below.

First screenshots of Need for Speed Unbound via Japanese retailer Neowing, which listed it early: https://t.co/q23uM1Ol7b

Launches Dec. 2. Currently only listed for PS5 (this is Japan—no Xbox physical edition). No PS4 version listed. Possibly new-gen-only? pic.twitter.com/aCWhuAh2oW

— Gematsu (@gematsu) October 5, 2022

The new NfS also has a new coat of cel-shading and 3D anime characters, in contrast to previous games’ primarily Western aesthetic. The remainder of the Google-translated shop says that NfS Unbound’s vehicle designs and music will be greatly influenced by graffiti art and hip-hop aesthetics, with rapper (and Rihanna’s baby daddy) A$AP Rocky working on the soundtrack alongside French producer Brodinski.

The leaked screenshots show that Criterion Games is working on the game (which includes Codemasters Cheshire, which EA acquired in 2021). Criterion’s newest Need for Speed unbound was set to arrive in 2021 until EA assigned Criterion to help EA DICE with Battlefield 2042 last November.