For the first time in its thirty-year history, the iconic racing franchise Need for Speed has moved beyond cars by introducing a motorcycle. The bike is part of Need for Speed Unbound's Volume 9 update, which launched on November 26, 2024. In addition to the motorcycle, the Volume 9 update included Lockdown Mode, a high-intensity heist-style mode in which teams of players must steal cars from locked-down zones, and fifteen vehicles based on Need for Speed: Most Wanted's iconic Blacklist. The Need for Speed development team was excited about these changes, as they both took the series in a new direction and honored one of its most iconic entries.
The Best War Games attended a press event celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Need for Speed franchise, during which the production team discussed the Volume 9 update in detail. They were particularly excited about the addition of a motorcycle, describing it as something they had wanted to do for a long time. In addition, there was excitement about returning to a gameplay style inspired by Most Wanted, which they described as one of the most "iconic" entries in the franchise and "truly emblematic" of the series as a whole.
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This Is The First Ever Playable Motorbike In A Need For Speed Game
Need for Speed' s first ever motorcycle is a 2019 BMW S1000 RR, and it will be available to use in both the new Lockdown Mode and certain PVP events. BMW has been one of Need for Speed's most reliable partners over the years - recently, the car manufacturer even produced a real life version of Most Wanted's BMW M3 GTR. (Unfortunately, the M3 GTR will not be on sale, and will remain on display at the BMW Welt space in Munich, Germany.)
The team was bursting with excitement about the motorcycle. "I've seen [the volume 9 trailer] maybe twenty times," said creative director John Stanley. "And I still get tingles every time." He revealed that the team had been wanting to add a motorcycle for a long time, but they waited until now because they wanted it to be perfect. Accuracy and authenticity are high priorities for the vehicle design team, and they work closely with their car manufacturer partners to ensure that everything is as realistic as possible.
A Most Wanted-Inspired Mode Was Chosen Because Of That Game's Iconic Nature
Lockdown, the new mode being added to Need for Speed Unbound in the Volume 9 update, is inspired by the 2012 title Need for Speed: Most Wanted. It will consist of teams of players competing against one another to perform heists, rescuing cars from locked areas while avoiding traps, security cameras and, of course, the police. The team chose to honor Most Wanted in this way because they consider it one of the most iconic titles in the series. Stanley summarized the new mode as follows:
"We're dropping Lockdown. It's our brand new PvPvE. This hasn't been done before - we haven't had a round-based online multiplayer mode. We wanted to really encapsulate that risk-reward flow that we have in [Most Wanted.]"
In addition, cars appearing on Need for Speed: Most Wanted's Blacklist will be added to the game - including the car belonging to Taz, who was played by production team member Justin Wiede at the last minute when the planned actor failed to show up. The new update to Unbound will be a celebration of Most Wanted and everything it added to the series, as well as adding something brand new in the form of the motorcycle. As for where Need for Speed will be going next, the development team isn't quite sure, but they're excited to keep working on the series and putting out more games and vehicles in the future.
Need for Speed Unbound
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 60%
- Released
- December 2, 2022
- ESRB
- Teen
- Developer(s)
- Criterion Games
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
Race against time, outsmart the cops, and take on weekly qualifiers to reach The Grand, Lakeshore's ultimate street racing challenge. Pack your garage with precision-tuned, custom rides and light up the streets with your style, exclusive fits, and a vibrant global soundtrack that bumps in every corner of the world.
Content updates to the game come in the form of Volumes - as the game builds towards becoming the Ultimate NFS Experience in one place for the first time.
- Franchise
- Need for Speed
- Number of Players
- 1-16
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Open-World
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Platforms
- PS5, Xbox, PC
- Publishers
- Electronic Arts
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
