Gameloft has entered into a partnership with Indian company Nodwin Gaming to execute esports events for Asphalt 8: Airborne and Asphalt 9: Legends in the country.
Asphalt 8 and Asphalt 9 are two of the most played racing games on mobile around the world and Gameloft has been pushing them towards esports in recent years. It organized the Asphalt Series in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and the games have also been a part of the ESL Mobile Open.
India is one of the biggest mobile esports markets in terms of viewership and participation, so it isn’t surprising to see Gameloft partner with a local company to grow the racing franchise in the country. Currently, no details about the upcoming tournaments for the two racing games in India have been revealed yet. Nodwin and Gameloft will likely make an announcement soon.
“India is an important market for Gameloft and the growth of esports in India does offer a great opportunity to build engagement with the users of the Asphalt IP,” said Florent Vallauri, the managing director for the SEAP region at Gameloft.
“We believe, as a genre, arcade racing has the potential to connect with a larger gaming audience. This fits in well, offering racing experiences which let every one prove themselves in jaw-dropping races, feeling the thrill of high-end cars in a highly immersive environment. With NODWIN as the biggest gaming and esports player in India, we are excited to enter into this relationship, which can enable users with bigger events going forward.”
Asphalt 9: Legends was also recently announced as one of the titles in the Snapdragon Pro Series powered by ESL. The Pro Series is a global mobile esports competition with a prize pool of more than $2 million that will begin later this month and run into 2023.
ESL had said the details for the Pro Series in India will be announced at a later date.
