EA has announced that EA Asia will begin testing of their new online free-to-play game, Need for Speed World Online.  The game is set to begin its first phase of technical testing in March.

“Need for Speed is one of the world’s best-selling franchises, and is especially popular among gamers in Taiwan and Hong Kong. We’re thrilled to bring this EA-owned property to Asia and to begin our self publishing model in Taiwan and Hong Kong. We look forward to the results of this testing phase for continued improvement in providing the best service to online gamers across Asia,” said Jon Niermann, President of EA Asia.

The game will offer all types of tracks and game modes along with online leaderboards as well as the ability for players to collect and customize cars and characters. Need for Speed World Online will only be available for the PC  in Asian markets to begin with but it will eventually make a worldwide release.

In an attempt to relaunch the Need for Speed franchise, EA has three new games planned for release this year.  Need for Speed World Online, Need for Speed Shift and Need for Speed Nitro.  Need for Speed Shift is a simulation racer while Nitro is an arcade version.  Fans of the series should be able to enjoy at least one of the three new offerings this year.