NEED FOR SPEED UNBOUND’S FASHION COLLABORATIONS TRANSFORM STYLE IN-GAME AND IN THE REAL WORLD
On the busy streets of Lakeshore, style is not just a vibe, it’s a way of life. Need for Speed™ Unbound will expand on the energy and flair at the heart of the franchise through a series of partnerships between Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), Criterion Games™ and some of the world’s most influential fashion innovators. Pioneering brands including Palace Skateboards, Versace, Puma, Namilia, Danielle Guizio, ALPHA Industries, AWGE, Born x Raised, Brain Dead, Champion, EDWIN, FILA, GCDS, KHRISJOY, MKI MIYUKI ZOKU, NAPAPIJIRI, Vans and more will each bring their stylistic vision to life for fans to discover in Need for Speed Unbound – releasing worldwide on December 2.
Need for Speed Unbound’s fashion collaborators were curated by the game’s fashion director – and editor-in-chief of U.K. culture magazine Wonderland – Toni-Blaze Ibekwe. “Need for Speed Unbound presents a real visual identity, one where players can see themselves, and their style, represented in the game,” said Ibekwe. “With these partnerships, we’re blurring the lines between IRL and digital content, and my main hope is that fans adopt the freedom to express themselves through clothing and apply some of their ‘daring’ in-game choices in real life.”
Palace, Versace, Puma, Namilia and Danielle Guizio will bring their iconic brands into the Need for Speed Unbound experience through bespoke collaborations that showcase each of their cutting-edge styles and go beyond licensed player clothing.
- Palace: For the trendsetters racing the streets of Lakeshore City, the Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition created in collaboration with Palace Skateboards delivers a variety of custom rides, gear and decals to trick out their rides and their character’s outfits. For more information on the Palace Edition visit: https://www.ea.com/games/need-for-speed/need-for-speed-unbound/news/palace-edition
- Versace: An iconic fashion house which doesn’t need an introduction, Versace will bring their prestigious style to Need for Speed Unbound through an in-game Rival, Medusa, who brings the Versace woman’s rebellious energy and high-gloss glamor to life as a street racer along with 10 in-game pieces of apparel from jackets to sneakers.
- Puma: A long-standing partner of the Need for Speed franchise and synonymous with “Forever Faster,” Puma brings the speed with its in-game Rival Racer Chase who rolls in a special Puma wrapped Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Players can get their hands on 13 other exclusive Puma in-game items including track pants, hoodie and jacket. A special Puma x Need for Speed Unbound capsule collection of real-world footwear and apparel will also be made available at a later date.
- Namilia: Driven by the revolutionary spirit of youth culture and celebration of freedom and self identity, Namilia will feature a selection of six in-game items from a coat to a corset. The Namila x NFS capsule collection features exclusive gear that will be unveiled closer to the launch of the game.
- Danielle Guizio: A luxury brand that reflects the subcultures of New York City, GUIZIO’s collaboration will introduce in-game rival Harlow who makes her mark in a special, custom wrapped Chevrolet Corvette Stingray featuring the brand’s iconic motifs. Players can also score five exclusive GUIZIO in-game apparel items from their ready to wear collection.
Players can also outfit their characters in-game with gear from ALPHA Industries, AWGE, Born x Raised, Brain Dead, Champion, EDWIN, FILA, GCDS, KHRISJOY, MKI MIYUKI ZOKU, NAPAPIJIRI, Vans and more.
“The Need for Speed franchise is becoming a home for pioneering, cutting-edge brands who are actively shaping culture,” said Kieran Crimmins, creative director, Criterion Games. “With Need for Speed Unbound, we wanted to level-up that ethos by creating a truly authentic universe that not only represents our players, but also creates opportunities for them to interact with and experience these renowned brands in a whole new way. These partnerships are just the beginning, and we look forward to sharing details on even more partners in the weeks ahead.”
The Need for Speed Unbound fashion partners bringing their quintessential style and apparel to the streets of Lakeshore City said:
- Mathias Wendholt, Head of Marketing PUMA Motorsport, PUMA: “Since 1985 PUMA has been part of the motorsport world, always driven by a relentless commitment to create innovative products for the best racing teams in the world and their fans. Our integration in NFS continues this approach in the digital world, where we always strive to work with the most exciting brands, give our consumers the opportunity to wear our brand in a digital environment and to showcase that PUMA Motorsport is also FOREVER.FASTER online.”
- Nan Li, Founder, Namilia: “Racing style has always been at the core of the NAMILIA brand identity, fusing high-performance wear with high fashion, pop culture, and clubwear. As one of the legendary racing games, Need For Speed has been extremely influential in keeping racing aesthetics modern and cutting edge. We love to see our designs in a digital, usable format, as virtual reality and 3D animation are guiding the future of fashion. All of the pieces in the game are available IRL, which makes this Namilia x NFS collaboration the perfect creative meeting. As a customer not only can you feel strong dressing your character in the game in Namilia, but you can also bring that same confidence to your physical life and be the most powerful person of your imagination.”
- Danielle Guizio, Founder, GUIZIO: “Growing up gaming is definitely where my competitive nature was established and still to this day kicks in and ignites in business. The feeling of wanting to win so badly never faded away. Doing this collaboration brings my dreams from when I was a little girl into a reality– not only having my own car in the game but that there is more female representation within the video game industry. That personalization that was once missing is now coming to fruition.”
Need for Speed Unbound puts players worldwide in the driver seat of their own street racing fantasy as they outsmart cops and prove they have what it takes to win The Grand, Lakeshore’s ultimate street racing challenge. The game features an all-new, unique visual style blending elements of street art with the most realistic looking cars in the franchise’s history.
Need for Speed Unbound and Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition will be available on December 2, 2022 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via the EA app, Origin, Steam and Epic Game Store for $69.99 and $79.99 respectively*.
For more details on Need for Speed Unbound, visit: https://www.ea.com/games/need-for-speed/need-for-speed-unbound
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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