Interview with Producer Scott Henshaw

After we announced three new Need for Speed games a few weeks ago, my inbox was literally flooded with questions from players. I decided to ask the most popular ones to the developers of each game. First up is Scott Henshaw. As the producer responsible for NFS development on the Black Box side, he is better placed than anyone to answer your questions.

-"What is NFS World Online?"
-"It is an entire world that combines the best elements of all Need for Speed games. Players will be able to explore it, take part in races and large-scale pursuits across the largest game territory in Need for Speed history."

-"How is this game different from other Need for Speed products?"
-"It is bigger, designed only for PC and completely free both to download and to play. It belongs to an entirely new type of game - fully online and constantly evolving."

-"Need For Speed World Online will launch in Asia first. Does that mean players in North America and Europe will get a ported version?"
-"The version that will launch in Taiwan in a few months is being created specifically for Asian users. The versions for North America and Europe will be optimized for the tastes and preferences of players in those regions. We have only just started working on this; as work continues, you will be able to learn more."

-"Didn't you try to do something similar with Motor City Online?"
-"Back then we tried to create a classic subscription-based massively multiplayer game dedicated to American sports cars. Of course, some of the experience from that project will be used in the new game, but NFS World Online has a number of significant differences. The new game will have a single world with many cars and events. Thanks to modes such as co-op and team play, as well as the presence of police, the experience of the new game will be completely different from Motor City Online."

-"The location in the published screenshot from NFS World Online looks very much like one of the areas from Carbon. Does that mean the new game will actually be a "reworked" old one?"
-"We were surprised at how quickly players noticed this. It shows that our games are known and loved. Yes, we are indeed going to use the city from Carbon, combining it with the world of Most Wanted. These two games are the most popular in the series, and we are glad to give players the chance to visit familiar streets once again. We took the city from Most Wanted as the basis for the game, but the appearance of both cities has become significantly better. You will finally see the world of Carbon in daylight and experience a completely new atmosphere in the Most Wanted territory. Yes, the streets will be familiar, but the unique customizable interface, gameplay and progression system will be completely new for Need for Speed. It is important to note that the world of this game will be the largest of all those we have created so far."

-"Will the whole game be free or only its main part? Will I have to pay for cars that are somewhat superior in performance to the starting level?"
-"The gameplay of NFS World Online will be available for free. As I said, we have only just started working on the game, but even now I can say for sure: the game will be engaging and interesting for you regardless of whether you pay 0 or 5 dollars."

-"Will there be police?"
-"Of course! What big city is without police? We are not only bringing back pursuits from Most Wanted, Carbon and Undercover, but also working on new co-op and team modes for police."

-"Will this game run on my computer? What are the minimum requirements?"
-"We plan to keep the minimum requirements reasonable. Our engineers are working hard to make the game fast and beautiful enough even on weak machines... I think the requirements will be comparable to Carbon."

-"Will I be able to play with users from different countries around the world or only from my region?"
-"That is one of the aspects we have not yet decided on. For such games there are two very important stages - open and closed beta testing. That is when we will be able to test many of our ideas and make decisions that guarantee the game is engaging."

-"When will beta testing take place, and how can I take part?"
-"This question interests a great many people, but we are not yet ready to answer it in detail. All I can advise is to keep an eye on the Needforspeed.com website. Information about beta testing will appear there within the year."

Needforspeed.com