Gamescom 2019

In our tireless pursuit of pure, progressive performance, we know that a key component is speed. You might even say that we have a need for it. So when the opportunity to get involved with Electronic Arts, makers of the hugely influential and highly successful Need for Speed™ franchise arose, we leapt at the chance. The latest instalment, entitled “NFS™ Heat”, has players choosing from different cars and competing in street races while evading local law enforcement .

Group of people playing computer game at gaming event

The Polestar 1 is among these cars. We could wax poetic about how it looks with the additional spoilers, wide-body kits, and other add-ons that are possible in the game, but it’s better to see for yourself.

Electronic Arts decided to debut this title at Gamescom 2019. The largest gaming event in the world, Gamescom (stylised as “gamescom”) is a video game trade fair held annually in the German city of Cologne since 2009. EA is one of fifteen publishers announcing upcoming releases with their NFS™ Heat reveal. And with the Polestar 1 being prominently featured in said game, we packed out bags and headed to the largest city on the Rhine.

Amongst the brightly coloured booths of game studios and people cosplaying Myrrah the Locust Queen could be found the NFS™ Heat stand. Lines of excited gamers snaked around the velvet ropes, dwarfing the lines of other booths and proclaiming that this is a game with deafening buzz and very real hype. And the Polestar 1, by all accounts, generated its own hype. A number of gaming influencers drove the Polestar 1 in NFS™ Heat, and recorded both the gameplay and their reactions. See below to read some of their reactions:

"I saw this car at Goodwood and fell in love with it. Normally hybrids aren’t about performance but this is a whole new thing."

BlackPanthaa

"It really shows where the industry is heading, and what the future looks like."

Gameriot

NFS Heat video game poster showcasing a race car and a police car in an atmospheric evening setting with palm trees.

The Need for More Details: NFS™ Heat

Set in the fictional open-world pastel-and-palm-trees locale of Palm City, NFS™ Heat allows players to compete in different street races, earning credits which they can then use to upgrade cars and components. Speedhunters Showdown, a contest held during the day, allows players to race and stack credits in relative safety. It’s also possible to race in the more illicit events held under cover of night, with the added danger of a police force willing to both shut down the races and steal any credits up for grabs.

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