The next Need for Speed game, currently in development at longtime series steward Criterion Games, will mix a photo-realistic art style with anime elements, according to VentureBeat reporter Jeff Grubb (H/T Eurogamer).

On the most recent episode of his Grubbsnax show, Grubb said the game would "be photo-realistic, but it's going to have on top of that, anime elements."

"You know when you see a car commercial or something like that and the car's driving around, but then cartoon flames and stuff are flying off it? That's the kind of aesthetic that they seem to be going for."

Grubb also said the game will be set in a fictionalized Chicago called Lake Shore City, and that some features from past games would return in the new entry. Those include Autolog and associated the multiplayer-focused social tools, plus deep customization options for cars.

Grubb previously reported the game would only be released on current-gen consoles and PC, eschewing releases on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. He said that release was currently set for November.

Beyond naming Criterion as the development studio on the project, EA has said little about the next Need for Speed. The game was originally set for a release between April 2021 and March 2022, but EA delayed it into its fiscal year 2023 when it moved the studio to support duty on DICE's Battlefield 2042.