Need for Speed: The Run (lost build of cancelled iOS port of racing game; 2011)

Cover for the game.

Status: Lost

Need for Speed: The Run is a 2011 racing video game and the eighteenth installment in the Need for Speed video game series published by Electronic Arts. The game had multiple versions for different platforms, such as the PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 versions developed by the late EA Black Box, and the 3DS and Wii versions developed by Firebrand Games. There was also meant to be an iOS version of the game developed by EA Mobile, although it got eventually cancelled.

History

The iOS version of the game was announced on October 20th, 2011, along with some gameplay details and two screenshots.^[1]^[2] The game's maps would've had five different environments, ranging from deserts to narrow streets, taking place in various real-life locations such as San Francisco or New York. The game was also said to have 30 playable cars, and that EA's Origin service would be used, along with the Autolog social platform used in other Need for Speed games at the time. EA Mobile then released a trailer for the game on November 28th/29th.^[3]

Unexpectedly though, just a few days later on December 16th, EA Mobile cancelled the game.^[4] The reason for the cancellation was "focus on fewer, bigger, better experiences", and that "another exciting new Need for Speed experience for mobile users [was] coming soon". The aforementioned new experience ended up being the iOS/Android versions of Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012), which some of The Run's assets were retooled for.

Availability

As it stands now, outside of 2 screenshots and a trailer, the game has not managed to find its way onto the internet. It is unlikely that Electronic Arts will ever release the game themselves. Probably the only way that the game could be released nowadays is if an EA Mobile employee leaks the IPA file for it (granted that one still exists).