Need for Speed exceeds 100 million copies sold

What were you doing in 1994? Yeah, most of us can't (or don't want to) remember, but EA was just starting the Need for Speed series. Now 15 years later in 2009, the franchise has reached a milestone by selling over 100 million units, thanks to the success of Need for Speed SHIFT.

Oh, EA is pleased with how NFS has grown, and they don't plan to stop any time soon. There's a long history here, with an equally fruitful future ahead. Frank Gibeau, president of EA Games Label, remarked:

"Few videogame franchises ever reach the 100M units mark, so this is a huge honor. We have millions of fans to thank for driving us to this milestone. With the launch of Need for Speed SHIFT and the upcoming release of Need for Speed NITRO , we hope to continue to deliver the most entertaining, action-packed racing experiences."

Here are a few fun facts about Need for Speed. Since its release in 1994, the series has...

Launched 15 blockbuster titles across more than 14 platformsReleased in 22 languages in over 60 countriesPlayers have raced over 279 billion miles of roads & race tracksGenerated over 17 trillion user-generated vehicle customizationsFeatured actors, models & musicians including: Brooke Burke, Christina Milian, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Josie Maran, Maggie Q, Kanye West (I'ma let you finish, but...), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The ProdigyDebuted exclusive remix from Snoop Dogg of The Door’s classic song "Riders on the Storm"Sold more games than all new passenger cars sales in the U.S since 1994If Need for Speed boxes were laid out end-to-end, it would span 173,609 football fields100M units represents nearly every household in the United States and is 3x the population of Canada

If you're a huge NFS fan and own a Wii or DS, Need for Speed NITRO will be shipping out this November for Nintendo's little white console and touch-sensitive handheld. Meanwhile, EA is taking a dip in the MMO pool with Need for Speed World Online, which will enter beta stage this winter in Taiwan and launch worldwide in 2010.

Source:Press release

Sections:Console Games, PC Games

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