NEWS - Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Need for Speed Franchise Now 100 Million Sold
Electronic Arts announced today its Need for Speed franchise has sold over 100 million units worldwide to date, making it the "best-selling racing brand in the gaming world." The series has generated $2.7B in life-to-date sales.
"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," said Frank Gibeau, president, EA Games Label. "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."
EA passed along some rather interesting bullet points since the franchise first debuted in 1994.
Launched 15 blockbuster titles across more than 14 platforms
Released in 22 languages in over 60 countries
Players have raced over 279 billion miles of roads & race tracks
Generated over 17 trillion user-generated vehicle customizations
Featured actors, models & musicians including: Brooke Burke (Wild On), Christina Milian (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men), Josie Maran (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and actress), Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III), Kanye West, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Prodigy
Debuted exclusive remix from Snoop Dogg of The Doors classic song Riders on the Storm
Sold more games than all new passenger cars sales in the U.S since 1994**
If Need for Speed boxes were laid out end-to-end, it would span 173,609 football fields
100M units represents nearly every household in the United States and is 3x the population of Canada
Source: http://www.ign.com