Machogames: Nissan Will Unveil 370Z In EA’s Need For Speed Undercover

Here’s a bit of interesting cross-promotion. The 2009 Nissan 370Z, which is poised to bring new hotness to roads all over this great nation, will be officially unveiled to the public at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19, and made available for sale early next year.
But fear not, car enthusiasts. You’ll have your chance to test out the new whip in EA’s Need for Speed Undercover on it’s release on November 18, months before you can drive it for real.

“For the past 15 years, Need for Speed has helped define contemporary automotive culture by bridging the gap between gamers and the world’s hottest cars. As such, we are very excited to partner with one of the automotive powerhouses today to exclusively reveal the all-new Nissan Z,” said Keith Munro, Vice President of Marketing at Electronic Arts. “Need for Speed is about style, fast-paced action and power; this is definitely a car made for Need for Speed fans. Come November, they’ll be able to test drive the all-new 370Z in the game before the car is released on the market.”

“Our relationship with EA has been instrumental in bringing the Nissan brand to a passionate and unique audience,” says Christian Meunier, Vice President, Nissan Marketing. “By launching the all-new 2009 Nissan Z first through Need for Speed Undercover, we also gain the spirit and energy that EA gamers experience so strongly. Together with EA, we have truly integrated the all-new 370Z in the overall game experience in a meaningful, multi-layered and profound way.”

With the signature boomerang headlights and taillights to the enhanced powertrain, Need for Speed Undercover designers worked closely with Nissan to accurately replicate the overall look, feel and performance of the all-new Nissan Z. From the game’s opening moment, players will be thrust right into the action with gamers whipping the 370Z in-and-out of traffic at high speed.

The all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z is a super evolution of the iconic Nissan Z, building on the strengths of its predecessor, finding the sports car “sweet spot” in performance, style, and value. The 2009 Nissan Z marks the first full redesign of the Nissan Z since its reintroduction as a 2003 model.

We think this is a great marketing idea, and we’d like to see it come to other games. But since the games we like are sports-based or shooters, we can’t ever see it happening. We don’t think anyone would care if a new brand of helmet got premiered in Madden, and we just cannot imagine the PR nightmare that would face any company if they publicized the release of a new gun in their game. We’ll have to stick to cars for now, but what EA has brought us here is pretty damn good.

On a side note, EA is going further to promote the series with the announcement of a “Need for Speed Live” event. Set for next summer in London, the event will be a weeklong festival of cars, games and music and will feature demonstrations from actual race drivers. Learn more about it here.
All-New 2009 Nissan Z® Makes Its World Debut in EA’s Need for Speed Undercover [Business Wire]