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Need for Speed World reaches final lap of qualifying round

by: Chad -
More On: Need for Speed: World
The MMO action racing game Need for Speed World now has a release date of July 20.  Gamers who want a taste of the action will be able to download the game client for free and play their career progression up to level 10.  Are you ready?  

Those that pre-order the game will have a one-week headstart and can access the game beginning on July 13th.  They'll also be able to reserve their driver name in advance, have VIP status, and access to all upcoming Need for Speed World beta events.  The "Starter Pack" is available for pre-order for $20 here.

We also snagged some screenshots to give you a taste of what to expect.  I'm impressed; I'll confess I wasn't expecting the graphics to look this sharp.  Read on for even more details.

NEED FOR SPEED WORLD RACES ONTO PCs THIS JULY
Go Online and Become a Street Racing Legend in the Massive Need for Speed World
Guildford, UK. – May 27, 2010 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced that Need for SpeedTM World, the massively multiplayer online action racing game, will go live on July 20, 2010. Need for Speed World thrusts gamers into an enormous, socially-connected white-knuckle Need for Speed experience featuring an all-new power-up system and deep RPG style progression.

Beginning July 20th, Need for Speed World will be available as a free client download at world.needforspeed.com. The free client gives gamers a taste of the action with access to all races, pursuits and career progression up to level 10.

Players who pre-order Need for Speed World will have a one-week headstart to the game on July 13th, with increased Rep (XP) gain for the duration of the headstart event and guaranteed access to all upcoming Need for Speed World beta events. Finally, players will also be able to reserve their driver names in advance of the game going live and have VIP status permanently displayed in their driver profile. Pre-orders are available now at eastore.ea.com or at participating digital retailers nationwide.

Need for Speed World brings together best in class action racing with an unparalleled social experience. Players can compete against any one of their friends, family or pick from thousands of top ranked players to challenge in intense online battles and police pursuits across 150 miles of sprawling open world. Need for Speed World combines new content with the most popular cities from Need for Speed Most Wanted and Need for Speed Carbon to create the biggest, most exciting race world ever released in the Need for Speed universe.

Need for Speed World is being developed by Black Box, an Electronic Arts studio. Need for Speed World will be available on July 20, 2010. More information and details on the beta test can be found at world.needforspeed.com or follow us on Twitter at NeedforSpeed.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS Freestyle TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.co.uk. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.co.uk.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO, and Need for Speed are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.