Need for Speed Unbound is a game that has gone slightly under the radar since it was released, you might not have even known there was a new entry. A game that was intended to steer the driving game back in a straight line wasn’t really advertised by Electronic Arts as much as it could have been either. And to add to the game’s woes, even more, it looks as though it’s now available at an incredible discount, a whopping 40 percent discount on Xbox platforms.
It’s a little alarming that a two-week-old game is currently being sold at such a knockdown price, is it really that bad? The reality is that it’s actually a really solid game, a return to form for the series after several mediocre efforts in recent years. Critics have been really complimentary about Need for Speed Unbound; Jason Dailey of Gaming Nexus called it “one of the best games I’ve played all year, and one of the best entries in the series. The driving is sublime, the cars are gorgeous, the art style is striking, and the soundtrack is exceptional.” What’s with the quick discount then?
Other platforms such as Steam, Epic, PlayStation, and EA’s very own storefront don’t seem to be following suit with this discount, which makes it all the stranger that Xbox has decided to. We should note that Steam will be conducting a winter sale next week in the lead-up to Christmas, so Unbound could eventually see a drop in price then.
Our concerns are shared by people on Reddit, who seem to think this discount is due to the game secretly struggling to imprint itself on the gaming community. Something similar was seen with Gotham Knights which also went on sale shortly after its release. The sales for the game have been fairly low on the likes of Steam and Epic, but this series is one traditionally played on consoles so you can expect figures to be much higher than the 14,000-player count seen on Steam.
This game is still in its infancy and to write it off would be a huge mistake, but maybe the price reduction on Xbox might just be the key for more players to experience this game. Criterion itself has already promised a series of post-launch updates and experience packs, as well as some “free access to new modes, social features, and progression for Lakeshore Online.” Why don’t we let the game settle, wait for the updates (which are sure to be filled with all kinds of great features), and see what happens after that?
Check out some of our guides for Need for Speed Unbound while you’re at it.
