BMW unveils new M5 in need for speed payback

The much-rumored (and thoroughly leaked) new BMW M5 finally got the official announcement treatment today.

That debut didn’t happen at an auto show, or even a BMW event, though. Instead, BMW showed off the new performance sedan at a games conference. The M5 — which will be featured in Need for Speed Payback when the game is released this fall — was shown off during EA’s Gamescom presser in Germany, The Verge reports.

BMW’s not the first to debut a car in a video game, but at least it’s being a bit more open about it. Porsche let Turn 10 Studios unveil the GT2 RS during the Forza Motorsport 7announcement at this year’s E3 before basically denying the car existed until the company held its own event a few weeks later. Either way, both announcements are the latest signs of the shifting dynamics that the auto industry is dealing with. Carmakers are increasingly eschewing the traditional auto shows that take place in cities like Detroit, New York, and Paris for events like CES, E3, and Gamescom, all in hopes of attracting younger customers.