Gameloft's Asphalt 8: Airborne will be optimized for the new Nexus 7

Gameloft has sent out a little press release on the heels of the Nexus 7 presentation, to let us know a little more about their upcoming title Asphalt 8: Airborne. The new title will be optimized for the second generation Nexus 7 when it's released, and thanks to Android 4.3's support for OpenGL ES 3.0, it should look marvelous.

Some of the features being baked into Asphalt 8 do sound really great. Here's the short list:

  • Brand new real physics engine
  • 180 events, 47 licensed cars, new game modes
  • Online simultaneous multiplayer action and asynchronous challenges, including friends and global leaderboards
  • Social features, including Facebook

In addition, Asphalt 8 will fully support Google Play Games features at launch. We don't yet have all the details, but we know it's scheduled to hit the streets August 8. If you're into racing games this looks like it will be a great one. See the full press release and a couple more screenshots after the break.

Gameloft’s Upcoming Asphalt 8: Airborne Optimized for New Google Nexus 7

Upcoming title shown on stage at Google Keynote

Paris, France – July 24, 2013: Gameloft’s® upcoming mobile title, Asphalt 8: Airborne, has been optimized for the new Google Nexus 7. As shown on stage at Google’s Keynote today in San Francisco, Gameloft, a leading global publisher of digital and social games, is showcasing the enhanced graphics and visuals in its newest arcade racing game for Nexus 7 from Google.

“Asphalt 8 is the ideal game to demonstrate the great capabilities of Google’s newest device,” said Baudouin Corman, Gameloft’s VP of Publishing, Americas. “With incredible graphics, and lifelike physics, Nexus 7 helps push tablet gaming forward and brings our vision for Asphalt 8 to reality.”

Asphalt 8 has been optimized to include OpenGL ES 3.0. features, such as graphic and image quality enhancements on the Nexus 7.

The title will deliver all new features to the Asphalt franchise, including:

  • Brand new real physics engine
  • 180 events, 47 licensed cars, new game modes
  • Online simultaneous multiplayer action and asynchronous challenges, including friends and global leaderboards
  • Social features, including Facebook

Gameloft is also an early adopter and supporter of Google Play game services. Asphalt 8 will be the company’s first title with Google+ and Google Play game services enabled at launch for Android.

About Gameloft:

A leading global publisher of digital and social games, Gameloft® has established itself as one of the top innovators in its field since 2000. Gameloft creates games for all digital platforms, including mobile phones, smartphones and tablets, set-top boxes and connected TVs. Gameloft operates its own established franchises such as Asphalt®, Real Football®, Modern Combat and Order & Chaos®, and also partners with major rights holders including Marvel®, Hasbro®, FOX®, Mattel® and Ferrari®. Gameloft is present on all continents, distributes its games in over 100 countries and employs over 5,000 developers.

Gameloft is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris (NYSE Euronext: GFT.PA, Bloomberg: GFT FP, Reuters: GLFT.PA). Gameloft’s sponsored Level 1 ADR (ticker: GLOFY) is traded OTC in the US.

Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.

28 Comments
  • Sweet. I'll definitely get it then fin.
  • Same! But wait, it's not freemium, right?
  • Hoping this means it'll be just as optimized for the N4 as its running the same internals? Posted via Android Central App
  • I am pretty sure they mean optimized with opengl 3.0, so that would include the N4
  • "Asphalt 8 has been optimized to include OpenGL ES 3.0. features, such as graphic and image quality enhancements on the Nexus 7." hey look at that
  • Hope these are actual game play shots and not altered pictures.
  • Thus, a Nokia-style conspiracy is born.
  • Please don't be freemium or don't rape me with the in app purchases.
  • If actual gameplay looks like that screenshot then wow, tablet gaming is looking good.
  • Hey Jerry what's an Ashphalt? Posted via Android Central App
  • I hope it's more impressive than the pix depict
  • Looked kind of fun. Might be the first Asphalt game I consider buying. For so long they were just utter shovelware, but they seem to have come up a lot.
  • Man I can't believe we can get last gen quality console graphics on our mobile devices now. So awesome :D
  • Yeah, and just think of how games will look on that beautiful screen of the new Nexus 7... Posted from my Samsung Galaxy tab with Android 4.2.2
  • Oh and now that we have Chromecast...games better start supporting it...who else here wants Android gaming playable on the TV while using your device to control it? ME!
  • True sorcery indeed.
  • But when will it be released for IOS devices ?
  • I don't think they said. I think the only reason they mentioned it right now, is because of the new Nexus 7 announcement today, and the fact that it will be optimized for it. Posted from my Samsung Galaxy tab with Android 4.2.2
  • As Usual,
    1 week prior to the Android Release.. :-)
  • So the original Nexus 7 is being ditched out just with release with new one....great Google....i bought 32 GB version last week and now New one will be optimized.... Posted via Android Central App
  • I am sure the old one will still run it great. Since OpenGLES 3 support is an Android 4.3 feature, I am sure it will still run smoothly, since the older Nexus 7 is receiving the 4.3 update. Posted from my Samsung Galaxy tab with Android 4.2.2
  • It depends on the chipset.
    Tegra 3 does not support GLES3, so the old N7 wont.
    Even Tegra 4 will not support GLES3 because nvidia are still using their old gpu architecture.
  • Who said it will be "ditched"? And why did you buy one a week before the successor's announcement? AC did report that a new one was supposed to be released shortly... Posted via Android Central App
  • It's not being ditched. The game will run fine on your OG Nexus 7. Of course you did choose to buy a 1 year old device knowing the new one was about to be released. Just saying.
  • Well really its your fault for buying one, knowing that a new one was coming out! Should have done more research before you just bought it. Anyways, can't you return it?
  • I'm glad google ditched the nvidia junk and went for a proper SoC this time around.
    Tegra3 wasn't good at anything other than marketing hype.
  • The Tegra 3 did seem a bit overrated for its actual performance. Really am looking forward to see Riptide GP 2 and Asphalt 8 on the new one. Posted from my Samsung Galaxy tab with Android 4.2.2
  • Anyone else notice that the screenshots for this are actually worse than the ones for Asphalt 7? Meaning that these are actually accomplishable unlike Asphalt 7 looking no where as fantastic as it's screenshots , Plus the Gameplay Videos look amazing as well