'Need For Speed 2022' Release Faces Delay As Supposed Gameplay Footage Leaks

The gameplay footage of the highly anticipated iteration of EA's racing video game franchise "Need For Speed," has been leaked online, and while it attracted varied reactions from gamers, it appears that the game will face some delays and could be released at a later date.

The three-second gameplay video of the upcoming game "Need For Speed" has been leaked online, and while it has been taken down on some social media platforms, it is still available on the subreddit GamingLeaksAndRumours. The brief footage shows a speeding car eventually crashing into an obstacle.

Following the crash, the screen flashes red with a cartoonish drawing of a skull and crossbones and anime-like wings appearing above the car. EA has not yet commented on the supposed leaked gameplay video, but the footage appears like it was taken from the game's very early alpha version.

Interestingly, the leaked gameplay seemed to align with what Venture Beat's Jeff Grubb said back in April in his GrubbSnax podcast. According to Grubb, the upcoming "Need For Speed" game will combine photorealism with some anime elements.

"You know when you see like a car commercial or something like that... and the car's driving around, but then, like, cartoon flames are flying off it and stuff? And sparks are flying, and they look like they're out of an anime? That's the kind of aesthetic that they seem to be going for,' Grubb explained in April.

He also noted that the game is set in the fictional version of Chicago called Lake Shore City and will feature autolog and car customization. EA was expected to drop a new iteration of the "NFS" franchise last year, but nothing was released.

After announcing a couple of years ago that a new "Need For Speed" is coming, EA has remained silent about the project. It is general knowledge that the game is in development by Criterion Games, but aside from that, gamers have no idea about the game's release platforms, gameplay, or even its official name.

In his Game Mess Mornings podcast on Twitch, Grubb claimed that EA decided to delay the release of the upcoming "Need For Speed" game from a November to a December window.

It is worth noting that while these details about the game are interesting, EA has yet to issue an official statement about the game. In other words, fans should temper their expectations and take the latest set of leaks and information about the game as highly speculative at this stage.