And here I thought EA was serious about axing the long running series, the rumor that the Need for Speed franchise was going bye bye was thankfully, just a rumor.

Yes the series has been pretty much releasing with dwindling quality ever since they started the annual release thing . This has made it particularly lucrative for EA because of the massive sales each game generates but a lot of fans are already giving up on the series because of the company seems to favor more of quantity than quality.

To address all that, EA is releasing not one, but 3 Need for Speed games.

Need For Speed: Shift has an in-depth cockpit view

1. Need For Speed: Shift: The flagship title of the series will add a heavier emphasis on simulation.   It’s biggest features (for now at least) are an  in-depth cockpit view mode and some sort of new crash mechanic.   The game is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios and will be hitting the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and PlayStation Portable.

2. Need For Speed Nitro features a more arcade-style racing. It will feature some in-depth car customization in addition to arcade racing features like boost. It also will feature another NFS staple: cops that will chase you down a la Hot Pursuit. EA is hoping the game will appeal to new players and genre fans alike.  The game is being developed by EA Montreal for the Nintendo Wii and DS.

3. Need For Speed: World Online will be the next attempt by EA for a free-to-play space in terms of racing.  World Online will be a free-to-play (with the option for a premium/paid account). Like most MMO, the game will launch in Asia first, and if successful, will be released in other markets soon after. It is being co-developed by EA Black Box and EA Singapore.

At the moment, the 3 titles have no release dates announced but they are expected to see shelf time by this year.