Need For Speed Unbound trailer promises a new direction for the series

The official trailer for Need For Speed Unbound has dropped, and it promises a bold, stylish new direction for the iconic racing series.

If you've been keeping an eye on the news, you've probably already seen the leaked images. Need For Speed Unbound ditches the realistic aesthetic of previous entries in favour of something new. While cars and environments retain a certain sense of realism, characters have a cel-shaded cartoon look, and there are plenty of fun details and stylistic touches that emerge as the cars races through the streets.

Take a look at the trailer below to see what I mean!

Need For Speed Unbound is being developed by Criterion Games, which in itself is a very strong sign. Criterion developed some of the best NFS games in the series, including Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit. The studio also did excellent work on the Burnout series, so it knows its way around a racing game.

The trailer also confirmed that Unbound will be releasing exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S December 2, so we don't have too long to wait.

While the game's bold new look has already divided fans (this takes me back to the days of The Wind Waker) I kind of love it. We've got so many "realistic" looking racing games these days, right? And frankly, you're going to have a hard time making anything look as good as Forza Horizon 5. Might as well take things in a completely new direction.

• Need For Speed Underground 2 Looks Better Than Ever in New Remake
• Need For Speed franchise quietly 'shelved' by EA
• Need For Speed Underground Gets Jaw-Dropping New Remaster
• Need For Speed Underground 2 remaster gets surprise release, available now