Need for Speed: The Run. Interview with Doug McConkey, Electronic Arts

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Doug McConkey as a Marketing Manager at Electronic Arts in the following Interview revealed to us the latest features of Need for Speed: The Run, which is to be released in the middle of November. From this our conversation you will find out more about the in-game tracks, cars and the challenges of converting Frostbite 2.0 graphics technology from a Shooter to a Racing game.

Best Racing (IgroMir 2011)

There weren’t many Racing games presented at the Russian IgroMir 2011 Game Expo. Microsoft showed her Forza Motorsport 4 (2011), and on the side of the action-packed racers we noted the new Black Box title. It’s been a while, since they released their previous Need for Speed (1994-2011) game with the popular series already growing in various directions simultaneously.

«Best Racing» experience for us on the show floor was provided by Need for Speed: The Run (2011), and its graphics engine takes all the good from the famous Frostbite 2.0 technology borrowed from swedish DICE studio, which has recently released a new Battlefield 3 (2011) game. The Run is a race all across the whole country, and its main driver has to enter the competition to survive through criminal attacks, police chases and massive natural disasters.

- Greetings! Please, introduce yourself.

- Hi there! My name is Doug McConkey, and I am the Marketing Manager for Need for Speed.

- How do you find Russia?

- It is my second time in Moscow. I visited IgroMir 2009 to present Burnout Paradise (2008) on PC. Moscow is a wonderful and diverse city. I am delighted to be back here and meeting all the people.

- Give us some background about your career in the game industry.

- My career in the game industry started back in 1997, when I joined Acclaim Entertainment (1987-2004) as a humble salesman. Since that time my way has been going up. I had a chance to work with Ubisoft and spent 7 years with Electronic Arts. Now I am the Marketing Manager for the Need for Speed brand.

- How long has Need for Speed: The Run been in the development?

- It has been in the development since the release of the last big Need for Speed game made by Black Box. It was Need for Speed: Undercover (2008). It turns out to be a new and very solid concept, which has been in the works for over than three years in one way or another.

- What main challenges have developers of Need for Speed: The Run encountered?

- Specifically, for this title we have got a new Black Box team working in Vancouver, Canada. They have been working with the new technology Frostbite 2.0, which was created by DICE and also used for building up Battlefield 3. So the challenge really was about bringing to life this incredibly epic journey across America in the game.

The total race distance in Need for Speed: The Run is about three thousand miles from San Francisco to New York. We wanted to ensure that every step for this journey is as much exciting as possible. We have made it look like the most amazing Racing game filled with action you have ever played with the power of the Frostbite 2 engine.

Read on further about the game world and and racing modes of Need for Speed: The Run.

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09.11.2011 | Features | → Alex "Jace" Ivanchenko

Need for Speed: The Run

Need for Speed: The Run:

A new episode in the famous Need for Speed (1994-2011) game series. On one side of this country lie the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and cable cars – on the opposite coast there are massive skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty and the endless glow of Times Square. What separates these two great cities in Need for Speed: The Run game is nearly 3,000 miles of roadway through dense urban centers, over epic mountains, across arid deserts and in constricted canyons.

With no speed limits, rules or allies available, only Jack’s determination and driving skills will keep him going in this heart-stopping race to get his life back. Thrills and excitement hide around every corner of this breakneck race across the country, but so do the police – and the men who want him dead. Evading these ruthless forces in one town won’t be enough. You must have the Need for Speed.

Key Game Features:

Battle hundreds of the world’s most notorious drivers on the country’s most treacherous roads;

Level up and earn access to exclusive vehicles, upgrades and abilities by mastering the playlists;

Evade a relentless police force that is ready and willing to use any means necessary to take you down;

Connect to Autolog and compare your best times against your friends in a race to New York where every second counts;

Be the first to cross the finish line as you speed across the country from San Francisco to New York in an illicit, high-stakes race;

Snake through dense urban settings, plunge down icy mountain passes and carefully traverse narrow canyons at breakneck speeds;

Race as Jack, a marked man who must make it to New York City ahead of the competition, the police and the men who want him dead;

Powered by the new Frostbite 2 engine, created by the award-winning DICE studio, delivers an amazing level of visual detail, immersive environments and emotional impact;

Grip the wheel, put the pedal to the floor and use your slick driving skills and sheer determination to keep Jack alive inside and outside of the car in Need for Speed: The Run;

Engage in high-octane multiplayer racing and join races already in progress with matchmaking technology, create a party with friends and pick a playlist of your favorite challenges and vie for racing supremacy across every stage of The Run.