The latest entry in the Black Box-developed racing series "takes the franchise back to its roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases, the world's hottest cars and spectacular highway battles," according to EA.

"Big-budget live-action sequences" that feature "box office sensation" and "international movie star" Maggie Q (Mission Impossible III, Live Free or Die Hard) will further the game's plot, with Ms. Q playing the "seductive handler" Federal Agent Chase Linh.

EA CEO John Riccitiello had previously expressed his belief that EA was "torturing a very talented group of people" through 12-month Need for Speed development cycles, with Undercover said to fix that issue.

"I'm confident that Undercover is a much better game than Pro Street, and I expect that from this point forward they will do a lot better," he explained