Electronic Arts has today announced that it will publish the free to play, multiplayer PC-only game, Need for Speed World Online in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The first phase of technical testing is scheduled to start in March 2009.

The game offers numerous race tracks and game modes where players are able to form teams to take on the competition and the police. Players can collect and customize racing characters alongside authentic real-world licensed cars and will be able to track their progress via online leaderboards, all in the largest free roaming environment in Need for Speed history.

“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.

If all goes well, we can expect the online world of Need For Speed to make its way over the European shores in the next couple of years.