English professional football club Manchester City have partnered with Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation Sony to create a Metaverse for club fans.
Sony announced at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that its “Proof of Concept” will let spectators engage with a virtual replica of the Etihad Stadium and take part in a variety of online games.
The goal of the PoC (proof of concept) with Manchester City FC is to create new types of digital services and content that combine the real and virtual worlds in order to engage and excite both current and future generations of sports fans worldwide. The PoC makes use of technology from several Sony Group companies as well as Man City’s global IP.
Sony posted an official video exhibiting the virtual experience on its YouTube account. Virtual avatars can be seen moving about the stadiums in the footage. Additionally, they can be seen twirling around the virtual stadium at designated areas.
Commenting on the partnership, Toshimoto Mitomo, Officer in-charge of Intellectual Property and Business Incubation Platform, Sony Group Corporation, said:
“Through this PoC, Sony will support Manchester City to further increase the value of its content and engagement with its fans around the world. Sony aims to create an online fan engagement platform that brings the Club and its global fans closer together, demonstrating our commitment to the sports entertainment business and supporting our partners in seeking new opportunities.“
Nuria Tarre, Chief Marketing & Fan Experience Officer, City Football Group, also added:
“At Manchester City we have a strong pedigree of continuously embracing the latest technologies to enhance our operation – with particular focus on exploring ways to engage and entertain our global fanbase.
“This partnership with Sony puts City at the development stage of an exciting project that will create immersive digital fan experiences that have never been seen before in football. We’re looking forward to launching this collaboration and bringing together Sony’s industry-leading technologies with the global network of Manchester City fans.“
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