WhenAsphalt: Urban GT He looked in 2005 in N-Gage and Nintendo DS, Gameloft still belongs to Ubisoft. At that time, the editor specialized in the licenses of its owner, but also offers some original creations, of which Asphalt. This is presented as a Need for speed Cheap, but that has the ability to turn on platforms where the electronic arts franchise is not.
The rest, you may know: no less than 17 episodes will see daylight in 20 years. Gameloft will offer its series on many platforms, ranging from N-Gage to Symbian, Windows Phone, Blackberry, PlayStation Vita and lately in Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, PC and PlayStation 5.
Cop of “Need for Speed” for reference for high -level smartphones
Asphalt had more than one life, as confirmed by Tech & Co Raùl Orrego, Gameloft Games Manager: “Asphalt Also released in Java, I had to work on black and white screens with only 32ko of data. It was really a different era: the development team was much smaller and the games evolved much faster. “
It is the attractiveness of the players for street racing, popularized by Need for underground speed In 2003, which will push Gameloft to embark on an adventure, which, 20 years later, still has its many followers.
“In terms of platforms, we have passed from Java phones to the PCs and statements of statements in 20 years. Asphalt It quickly imposed itself as a series with impressive graphics on mobile devices, so it was necessary to remain at the forefront, “recalls Raùl Orrego.
At first, episodes are multiplying for essentially technical reasons: “It was necessary to make a lot of effort to follow the technical progress of mobile devices, it was really important for us.”
Two decades later, Gameloft’s pride is thatAsphalt It is used in smartphone tests to demonstrate its technical power: “The visual loyalty of the game serves as a showcase for high -level devices.”
The iPhone, Asphalt’s success engine
However, the episode that has changed everything is Asphalt 4: elite races. Released in 2008, it is the first of the series to emerge on iPhone. The success of the Apple App Store will allow the deductible to take off at unexpected levels for Gameloft.
Follow-up Asphalt 5 Who will take a particularly impressive technical turn (for the moment), despite a quick launch compared to the previous work: “only one year ago between the two, it feels like having a jump of a generation of consoles, or even two,” explains the game manager. “It adopts new technologies quickly and pushes the limits of devices necessarily places it in the leadership position in a genre, especially when they are very powerful and largely sold.”
Raùl Orrego also remembers thatAsphalt First it was designed to offer “a quality games console on portable devices”, all, within an ultra fragmented market.
With this experience, Gameloft will adopt an increasingly important diversification strategy: “over time, as technology advanced and thatAsphalt He said his identity as an Arcade racing game, it has become obvious that the last games offered experience that also had their place in consoles and PC. “
In the consoles of the living room, “Asphalt” is “there to last”
Without trying to compete with managers of the genre, but also simulations, Asphalt So he drew his own route and offered in 2018 Asphalt 9: LegendsFrom recognized Asphalt legends.
This is the first game of the franchise to emerge in Switch, Xbox and PlayStation. Designed as a free game (free, but with microtransactions), the game is now developed as “a service game” with regular updates, one of which is still in progress, refers to the twentieth anniversary of the franchise.
For Raùl Orrego, Gameloft made the choice to offer an experience in the form of multiplies and cross -plates, where the player’s data follows where he wants to go. “You can make some purchases on your phone on the bus or during lunch, then continue your challenges on the big screen thanks to your console, without losing your progress,” said Raùl Orrego. Development is also unified, after being separated for a while.
It is also for this reason thatAsphaltpreviously known for regularly offering new episodes, it has rested since 2018 in Asphalt legends: “We eliminate the title number Asphalt legends Are you there to last? We have a long -term road map, and there are still many things we want to do. “
1.5 billion downloads
20 years after its beginnings, the franchise Asphalt Therefore, it is always so popular. With 1.5 billion downloads since its arrival, it has received a particularly large amount of players: “Games have been played by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, on almost all platforms. It causes many people to bring a single box,” Raùl Orrego reacts, when asked what the type of player profile is.
“We still know that our players are a little younger than the average of lovers’ lovers. They are mostly young adults, mainly men who have passion for the car that goes far beyond the race,” he said. Without a doubt, it is undoubtedly for this reason that there has been very special care for vehicle modeling:
In the future, Gameloft explains wanting to “remain demanding” while continuing “pushing the limits.” A perspective that can only delight fans ofAsphaltthat your universe in mixed reality headphones are already explored.
Source: BFM TV
