Need for Speed: Rivals developer "not making Titanic" - creative director on racer's plot

Need for Speed: Rivals doesn't have an operatic story of star-crossed lovers because Ghost Games knows it's making a game about driving cars around fast.

Speaking to OPM about the game's plot, creative director Craig Sullivan said Ghost has been conservative with its storytelling.

"If you’ve seen the E3 trailer, that’s a good glimpse into how we’re going to tell the narrative of the game. We’re not making Titanic: this is a driving game," he said.

"Give me a narrative that explains why I’m driving and reflects the consequence of what I’m doing. It can’t be a story about world peace or a crisis in the Middle East.

"This is ultimately a story about what’s going on inside the cop’s head and how he reacts to the racer. It’s about the rivalry that plays out as the two sides are essentially battling each other throughout this game. The narrative is there to completely and utterly support the gameplay – it’s not overly preachy and it’s not very long. It’s simply [told in] cutscenes that play out at certain times in the game."

Need for Speed: Rivals is coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 19; to the PS4 on November 15 in North America and November 29 in Europe and beyond; and to the Xbox One on November 22. It's the last entry in the series produced under the EA Games banner, as EA Sports has taken over the Need for Speed brand.