"Asphalt 8: Airborne is a patchwork quilt of arcade racing tropes stitched together with skill and affection."
That's how we described Gameloft's hyper-real racer when it landed on the App Store two months ago.
Now, the feature-rich racer is going free-to-play, ditching its price tag for good and inviting all and sundry to take it for a test drive.
Though this might come as a bit of a surprise to players who dutifully coughed up their 69p / 99c back in August, you can see that Gameloft had laid the groundwork for a transition to freemium before the game was released.
The game's comprehensive upgrade and customisation options already had a fairly freemium vibe, and an in-app payment system was firmly in place.
However, before you freak out, an energy system which restricts playing time has not been added. Thank the gods.
This move to freemium comes as part of Asphalt 8: Airborne's first update, which also adds new cups, the option to race in a Clio R.S., and a mutliplayer series featuring 7 new reverse tracks.
You can download Asphalt 8: Airborne for free right now. And forever.
