Need for Speed skipping E3 2019, says EA

EA has said it won’t show its new Need for Speed game at E3 in June, with the publisher instead choosing to focus on delivering a “truly memorable” title.

The unnamed racing instalment is due out at the end of the calendar year, with EA recently stating in an earnings call that it will “revitalise the street racing versus cops fantasy at the core of the franchise”.

Read our E3 2019 dates schedule for every conference and live stream date.

EA’s annual EA Play event is due to kick off on the weekend of June 8, with the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, FIFA 20 and Apex Legends Season 2 due to appear.

However, EA community lead Ben Walke warned fans not to expect an E3 appearance for Need for Speed, which celebrates its 25th birthday in August.

“Are you going to hear more about the next NFS title? Yes. Is it being released this year? Yes. Will we be doing anything in June? No. It’s as simple as that,” he said, “but we wanted to give you a heads up before you started asking ‘where are you?’

“Our goal is to deliver a truly memorable high-speed entry into the 25 years of NFS, rather than a series of promotional events. The game matters most – a sentiment we bet you share with us.”

Walke did not reveal any further details on the project, other than to say that it will focus on the series’ foundations of cars and customisation.

EA expects Need for Speed to ship four million units in the current business year ending March 31, 2020.