Series of racing video games The need for speed is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024, and its designers and developers took the opportunity to look back at the history of the franchise. They discussed how The need for speed the series influenced and was influenced by car culture, the games they personally felt were the most iconic of the series, and the relationships they built with car manufacturers around the world as they strived to accurately recreate a wide variety of vehicles in each game.
During a press event attended by Game Rant, vehicle designer Bryn Alban, who has been with the series since 2009. Need for Speed: Shiftdiscussed how he has built a positive relationship with a number of car manufacturers over the years. These close relationships have allowed Alban's team to aim for authenticity with every car added to the games and introduce vehicles ranging from luxury Porsches and Ferraris to fully stocked racing cars.
2:52
Related
Need For Speed Heat: Best Drift Cars
These cars excel at cornering perfectly at high speeds, giving you a vital advantage.
The need for speed and car culture have become fully intertwined
Alban explained that his research process for the design The need for speed vehicles involves fully immersing yourself in car culture so you can keep up with trends as they change. In addition to the manufacturers themselves, he cited the SpeedHunters website as a valuable resource. Describing the transition from someone who works with car design to someone who has become an avid car fan himself, Alban said:
“Authenticity-wise, that lands squarely on my shoulders. I have to be the one to bring that to the table. It's been my bread and butter in my spare time for the last 20 years. I've absorbed myself in car culture and i like to think that brings the authenticity in
The need for speed
also.”
Alban went on to say that over the years he has noticed a distinct change in manner The need for speed it can be seen Now, gaming is an inextricable part of automotive culture, with many automobile and car enthusiasts becoming The need for speed fans and vice versa. He pointed out that this has led to fruitful, decades-long partnerships with certain car manufacturers. In particular, Alban cited BMW and Nissan as partners he worked closely with during its development The need for speed.
Need For Speed Partnerships with car manufacturers will continue in the future
The The need for speed the franchise has no intention of stopping working with car manufacturers in the future. Recently, BMW, which Alban described as one of the series' oldest partners, created a real-life replica of the M3 GTR from Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The team was absolutely giddy about this collaboration, with creative director John Stanley grinning from ear to ear as he discussed the “exciting new project”. The project was “a dream come true,” said the team, which sees The most wanted as one of the most “iconic” The need for speed games and truly “iconic to the franchise as a whole”.
Finally, Bryn Alban explained, the relationship between The need for speed the real-life franchise and automakers isn't a stable or consistent thing — it can change on a dime “depending on who's in charge,” Alban said. But as the series becomes a bigger and bigger part of the automotive world, the team is confident that they can continue to work with real-life car creators and developers to create and design even more authentic cars. Perhaps, like the M3 GTR, The need for speed The team will even create a few vehicles of their own that can make the leap from video games to reality in the future.