Need For Speed is one of the most popular racing franchises out there, bringing its parent company, Electronic Arts, big profits after each title is launched. It brought innovations such as tuning or police to the racing game genre and is considered the most respected series in the field.

The next title in the franchise, Need For Speed: Undercover, is the twelfth title in the long series and promises to take the NFS experience to a whole new level in terms of gameplay and mechanics. The title is set to hit the store shelves on November 18 in the United States, with Europeans getting their hands on it on November 21.

But that’s not the only thing European customers will get to see, as EA has just announced that it will be organizing the first edition of the Need For Speed Live festival. The competition will most probably be held at the Brands Hatch racing circuit in Great Britain – but the negotiations are still underway – and promises to be a one of a kind event specifically targeted towards the fans of the game series. It will feature tuning competitions, as well as races in different kinds of genres, like drag or drift racing. But don’t think that anybody can enter, as EA has announced that it will be bringing the top racers and drifters from all around the world to take part in this event, in a battle of the continents. 

Also, demonstrations of drifting and racing techniques will be shown to all of the attendants, and various gaming competitions will be held to see who the best virtual driver is. Need For Speed Live is set to take place next summer and will surely be the place where the next NFS title will be announced, as all of the fans will be awaiting a new title.

"For over 14 years, Need for Speed has been at the forefront of automotive culture and this Live race event brings the spirit of Need for Speed games to life with all of the energy [and] adrenaline (…) that the franchise represents," said Rod Chong, creative director for Need for Speed Live. "Need for Speed Live will definitely push each driver and their cars to the limit as they contend with dramatic elevation changes and harrowing fourth-gear 100 mph drifts."

Players who are interested can check out the official site of this event. One thing’s for sure though, a lot of people are definitely going to take part in this.