Currently there are billions, yes billions of sports fans worldwide. Sports such as Football, Basketball, Cricket and Motorsports are enjoyed around the world by fans because of the personalities performing and the action that is captured on camera.
The recent FIFA World Cup has been a great example of how captivating sports can really be. Nearly 26 million people alone in the United States of America viewed the event. Billions again were recorded around the World. Lionel Messi after winning the trophy managed to amass the largest amount of likes on Instagram on a singular picture holding the award.
Sports gaming and betting is a highly popular sector within the Sporting industry. It must be noted however that games such as FIFA and NBA 2K do not offer much in terms of revolutionary gameplay or features.
Many games such as these are often scrutinised because of the lack of new gameplay, the expensive price tag and also the onslaught of microtransactions.
@ Medium
Sporting Metaverse activity
Whilst still in its early days, the Metaverse is a concept initially picked up by META and is now becoming more integrated and discussed by the likes of Apple and Microsoft. The Metaverse whilst still unbeknown by many is the next generation of entertainment.
Experts are convinced that the integration of the Metaverse into sports gaming and entertainment will open up new doors for development. Using VR and AR technologies, sports can become more immersive and progressive.
Already we have seen the likes of FIFA, the NBA and the International Cricket Council take advantage of Web3 in releasing NFTs. Jesse Lindgaard, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have released their own projects too that are utilizing web3 technologies.
Featuring esports NFTs that incentivise people to purchase them in the first place are a great avenue to earn money both on the side of the organizers and on secondary marketplaces also.
Sports brands such as Nike and Adidas have also started to release their own ideals within the Metaverse. Nike were one of the first to get the ball rolling in this department. Acquiring NFT sneaker creator RTFKT back in December of 2021 at the height of the Crypto and NFT craze. An NFT marketplace has also been released by Nike where releases are made available.
Adidas are another brand that have released their own NFTs. They have released NFT clothing and also footwear. These have featured some cool designs and can be worn by Metaverse avatars.
The end result
A minority of people currently understand the Metaverse for what it can be in a few years time. Once fully developed, there will be no physical or geographical implications that can affect whether or not people can enjoy their favorite sports.
Players and viewers can talk to one another in the Metaverse. They can also meet their sporting stars creating a new relationship between athletes and fans that we have not seen before.
Immersive camera functionality allows those involved to have a full panoramic view, a great feature of the VR headset.
@ SportsPro
Reports from Web3 Studio have had some positive takes on the sports metaverse. It is believed that by 2030 it will be worth a staggering $80 billion. With how much has been injected into Crypto games alone this year I feel these numbers can be reached in an 8 year period.
It is clear that integrating sports into the metaverse is a step in the right direction. Fans are wanting more from sporting events and that is natural, because who doesn’t like new shiny things?
Sporting games also are incredibly lackluster. Metaverse gaming experiences have come a long way this year. Development teams have started to use more cutting edge tools to present projects giving them a better presentation and use case.
As already seen with the likes of Adidas, Cristiano Ronaldo et al these projects are not expensive to get started with. One thing initially holding back Web3 were the price points. For mass adoption cheaper entries allow more users and longevity.
Are you looking forward to the development of the sports industry within the Metaverse?