14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts, together with the Black Box studio in Vancouver and the team working in Singapore, has announced that Need for Speed World is now ready for a beta launch that will be running for the following months, until the release date set for this summer. It's not clear how many beta places are offered and whether the full experience of the game will be delivered at this stage.
Need for Speed World is EA's attempt at branching out its main racing franchise to the very lucrative MMO space. The game will have more than 150 miles of racing course, which players can experience with a variety of cars.
There are also stats to update as the player progresses and gains experience and all the gamers who sign up for Need for Speed World will also be able to forge social links with like-minded players and then experience the racing together. Electronic Arts plans a microtransaction-powered model rather than a subscription-based one for the MMO and will launch new premium packs containing cars and abilities every few months.
John Doyle, who is the senior producer working on Need for Speed World, stated that “Need for Speed World is the world’s first MMO racer - a completely new entertainment experience for speed junkies all over the world. We have expanded Need for Speed’s classic adrenaline fueled racing with an all-new power up system and deep RPG style progression to create a truly massive, socially-connected white-knuckle Need for Speed experience.”
EA must be hoping that Need for Speed World will fare better than its previous attempt at a racing-oriented MMO, Motor City Online, which was launched in 2001 with high hopes only to be shut down two years later, when it failed to find a reliable player base and support itself. There are also racing MMOs that are free to play and quite popular on Asian markets.