Boilerplate RequireJS module to async load the google maps api and still be able to bundle with rjs. Cooked up with @adamjarret

google-maps-loader.js

/**
 * GoogleMapsAPI Loader Module
 * 
 * Returns a promise that resolves with the google.maps object when all of the google maps api loading process is complete
 * 
 * Example Usage:
 *
 * 	define([ 'app/lib/google-maps-loader' ], function(GoogleMapsLoader){
 * 		GoogleMapsLoader.done(function(GoogleMaps){
 *			// your google maps code here!
 *			var geocoder = new GoogleMaps.Geocoder();
 *		}).fail(function(){	
 *			console.error("ERROR: Google maps library failed to load");
 *		});
 *	});
 *
 *	-OR-
 *
 *	define([ 'app/lib/google-maps-loader' ], function(GoogleMapsLoader){
 * 		GoogleMapsLoader.done(function(){
 *			// your google maps code here!
 *			var geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder();
 *		}).fail(function(){	
 *			console.error("ERROR: Google maps library failed to load");
 *		});
 *	});
 *
 */

var google_maps_loaded_def = null;

define(['jquery'],function($) {
  
  if(!google_maps_loaded_def) {
    
    google_maps_loaded_def = $.Deferred();
  
    window.google_maps_loaded = function() {
      google_maps_loaded_def.resolve(google.maps);    
    }
    
    require(['http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?sensor=true&callback=google_maps_loaded'],function(){},function(err) {
      google_maps_loaded_def.reject();
      //throw err; // maybe freak out a little?
    });
    
  }
  
  return google_maps_loaded_def.promise();
  
});

Note that this gist sets the sensor param as true, and does not define an API key on the URL. Make sure to adjust the loading url as necessary for your project. Wrote up a blog post about this approach: RequireJS Projects and Asynchronously Loading the Google Maps API

Thanks a lot this helped me easily fix painful issue, but unfortunately it didn't work with Requirejs optimizer.

thanks!