- EA and SI's new partnership throws swimsuit models Irina Shayk and Chrissy Teigen into the digital world of Need for Speed: The Run.
- They will be antagonists in the story trying to stop the main character from winning a series of races throughout a Cannonball Run-like trek across the country.
- The video game hits shelves November 15 and will be available for all major consoles and PCs.
REDWOOD CITY, California — Electronic Arts and Sports Illustrated announced a marketing partnership that will kick off with two sexy swimsuit models getting immersed in the digital world of the new video game Need for Speed: The Run.
Hot chicks and fast cars have long been complements, and can be found juxtaposed in everything from movies like The Fast and the Furious to viral Playboy promotional videos. So it's no surprise that Electronic Arts took it one step further and used real-life Sports Illustrated swimsuit models for characters in a video game.
The game in this case is the driving simulator Need for Speed: The Run (the 18th title in the Need for Speed franchise). It will feature Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model Irina Shayk and fellow swimsuit issue model Chrissy Teigen. The girls play best friends in the game, antagonists attempting to stop players from winning a series of races during a Cannonball Run-like cross-country trek from San Francisco to New York.
"I'm sure that the millions of swimsuit (issue) fans will be excited to see Irina and Chrissy behind the wheel and millions more will be introduced to the franchise in a fun and unexpected way," said SI publisher and vice president Frank Wall.
As part of the partnership deal, Sports Illustrated ads will be plastered across billboards in the game and Electronic Arts is offering a bundle that includes a six-month subscription to SI, a copy of the game and a documentary DVD starring the two models for just $49.95.
The game will hit shelves November 15 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PCs, and will also be available on the Nintendo Wii and 3DS without the swimsuit models.
Inside Line says: Whether it's a sleazy marketing campaign to get more games off the shelves or not, we're not complaining.
Add A Comment »
lions208487 says:
07:55 AM, 09/30/2011
EA still makes the best sports games in the industry, but for those hating on a game for using swimsuit models get a sack, and get out of the house!
Put down your super nerd controller and go talk to some actual women.
fredzy1 says:
03:24 PM, 09/29/2011
I genuinely hate EA and its garbage need for speed games. Then there's this swimsuit business. Hate.
Why hate? In six steps:
1. EA has the exclusive rights to license Porsche in all video games.
2. Porsche is one of the most important motorsports marques in all of car-dom.
3. Actual car enthusiasts play Gran Turismo/Forza for their digital motorsport fix.
4. EA will no longer license Porsche to Polyphony Digital (never did) or Turn 10, the developers of GT and Forza respectively.
5. Car enthusiasts do not get the opportunity to experience Porsche vehicles in a proper simulation setting. Don't even mention NFS shift. And I know the PC sims are better... it's just more reason to hate since you won't find Porsche there, either.
6. Hate.
Porsche has to suffer from this, I don't care what EA pays them. Porsche business aside, EA can not possibly benefit from withholding the Porsche license from PD/T10. I can't imagine more than a few people (who probably already own Porsches) passing up NFS for GT or Forza just because those games also included Porsche. There isn't much overlap between people who play sim-racers and people who play arcade-racers.
Meanwhile, Forza and especially Gran Turismo sell mountains of games to many millions of people worldwide. No Porsche.
I can't come up with a single angle that makes any sense here other than "EA is evil."
93aero says:
10:00 AM, 09/29/2011
Yea, more sleazy than anything. Kids are tired of the need for speed genre; its just boring. What better way to appeal to them by intriguing their adolescent minds....well played EA...well played.