In past years, the ‘Need of Speed’ series hasn’t really been to up to speed because, really, after Pro-Street no one was willing to take another chance with a game from the ‘Need for Speed’ series. Which had led to the problematic sales of the recently released Need for Speed title, Undercover, getting some negative scores from many publications.

But, today, Electronic Arts has announced that’s plans to steer the popular ‘Need for Speed’ series in a new direction. But, not by only announcing one new Need for Speed title, but by announcing three new games.

And they are, ‘Need for Speed Shift,’ a first-person racing simulation for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360; ‘Need for Speed World Online,’ a multiplayer action-driving game for the PC; and ‘Need for Speed Nitro,’ an arcade-style racing game developed by EA Montreal for both the Nintendo system.

“It’s all about crafting different games for different audiences,” said Keith Munro, EA marketing vice president. “The ‘Need for Speed’ brand is quite powerful. It has great recognition, even outside of gaming. When we talked to consumers about what the brand meant to them, we realized that it could be stretched to new limits on different platforms.”

['Need for Speed' franchise is shifting gears via AP]