Outside small mentions here and there, Electronic Arts still has yet to formally and fully unveil 2022’s Need for Speed game, but leaks and reports have prematurely let this car out of the garage. And while those other unofficial sources were quite brief, screenshots of the new racing title have found their way online, showing Need for Speed: Unbound to the world just before its grand reveal.
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
As spotted by Gematsu, Japanese retailer Neowing put a listing up for the game, showing four tiny images of the racer as well as its box art. It’s only listed for PlayStation 5, backing up reports that it’s a current-gen exclusive like EA’s Dead Space remake and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. It also has Criterion Games as the developer, a team known for 2012’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which EA had previously confirmed.
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The description speaks of letting players outsmart the police, race to qualify for its “ultimate street racing challenge,” and customize a garage full of fancy vehicles. There’s also a whole section on graffiti and its new visual style that “[merges] the latest street art with the most realistic cars in Need for Speed history.” This was also part of a previous report from April. An incredibly short clip of alleged gameplay leaked out in August, showing a car ramming into a huge donut-like object and some stylized graffiti-like effects upon impact.
And keeping with the urban theme, it will also feature a soundtrack full of hip hop, including A$AP Rocky and his creative agency AWGE. The car on the game’s cover is also adorned with Rocky and AWGE logos, meaning they’ll likely have an outsized influence on the game. French house and hip hop producer Brodinski also produced some music for it, too.
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This retailer listing came just after the series’ Twitter account confirmed that a reveal was slated for October 6. Insider Gaming also reported in late September that the racing title was going to be announced in the first few weeks of October and release on December 2, 2022 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
