Verizon launches first real-time multiplayer title

US network operator Verizon Wireless has announced the launch of the first real-time multiplayer title on its V CAST network, with Gameloft's 3D racing game Asphalt Urban GT allowing players to compete head to head for the first time.

The title - which is also available on the Nintendo DS - joins a growing line-up of 3D games on the V CAST service, which is a wireless broadband system that has been rolled out in 60 major urban areas around the USA, as well as at several airports.

It's the first time that real-time wireless multiplayer has been offered on the service, with all of the other multiplayer games being in the realms of "connected" rather than true "multiplayer" titles - offering things like global high score tables rather than head to head play.

"With Gameloft's Asphalt Urban GT: Multiplayer, V CAST customers can compete in real-time, which more closely resembles the console gaming experience," explained Verizon Wireless' VP of marketing, Bill Stone.

"Verizon Wireless' broadband network enables this next step forward in mobile gaming," he continued, "allowing customers to participate in head to head competition, rather than taking turns."

The company is planning to use the launch of the game to celebrate the recent launch of V CAST in San Francisco, with a number of competition heats planned at participating locations around the city in September, followed by a final in Union Square at the end of the month.