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Gameloft’s hugely popular racing franchise is on the way to becoming the most innovative series of games for mobile devices around. The company announced the upcoming launch of a third major update to Asphalt 8: Airborne that will add a brand new racing area, brand new cars, and the ability to stream your gameplay live over Twitch.
First off, the game’s update will include a major expansion to active gameplay that includes a new area, “The Great Wall.” Additionally, players will be able to grab and customize a new line of cars, including the 2014 McLaren P1, the Ferrari Testarossa, the Dodge Challender, and the Ford F-150.
The main menu has been completely redesigned with a more streamline user interface. So you will be able to access your career and car collection easier than ever.
The game also includes 30 new career events across eight seasons.
The really big news comes with Twitch integration, which will only be available on the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina display (basically 64-bit compatibility).
Twitch is a video platform that allows users to broadcast their gameplay, chat with others while watching video gameplay, and more. It is already available on popular console devices, like Xbox One. Asphalt 8’s third major update will be the first time the service has been made available on mobile devices.
“This first-ever mobile game integration with Twitch opens the door for gamers to broadcast and share game play experiences like never before,” said Baudouin Corman, VP of Publishing for the Americas, Gameloft. “As one of our most popular games, Asphalt 8: Airborne made perfect sense to integrate the Twitch mobile SDK, and we can’t wait to see the excitement it brings to our users.”
Users can log into Twitch through Asphalt 8’s in-app access. Using your native microphone and front-facing camera, live stream your voice and face as you play the game. You can also monitor chats from others who are logged in a watching your gameplay, archive your live stream and upload it to YouTube, or find other players to watch play Asphalt 8 from within the app.
“Live broadcasting represents one of the most important shifts in the way people play games,” said Matthew DiPietro, VP of Marketing, Twitch. “Twitch has quickly found a home on consoles, so by partnering with Gameloft to launch the first streaming-enabled mobile game brings us one step closer to being everywhere that gamers are. Also, by being integrated into Asphalt 8: Airborne, one of the highest rated mobile games, should ensure it resonates with our community.”
The game is free to download and Twitch access does not cost any money. It is only available while connected to Wi-Fi, but Gameloft is working on incorporating cellular streaming of the game.
Starting at 10:00 a.m. PT on Mar. 17, Gameloft is hosting a 24-hour live stream of Twitch with Asphalt 8. Running until Mar. 18, users can see what it looks like to interact with Twitch on your iOS device. The broadcast will include a walk-through of the available options, interviews with the development team, and giveaways every three hours.
You can download Asphalt 8: Airborne for free in the App Store today. Version 3.0 will be available within the next week or two.
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