NFL fans who want to get a fully-immersive football gaming experience have much to be cheerful about after it was announced that the first NFL-approved virtual reality NFL game, NFL PRO ERA, will be launched this fall.
Using Players’ Real Names and Likenesses
The company working on the first officially licensed NFL gaming solution is StatusPRO. Company co-founder Troy Jones said that the NFL PRO ERA allowed you to immerse yourself and turn into a professional athlete playing on the field.
That was something that was done for the first time ever, while also approved by the NFL Players Association, and Jones promised that the experience would be unlike anything you have seen before.
What makes NFL PRO ERA even more realistic is the fact that it is licensed by the NFL Players Association. In other words, players’ real names and likenesses will be used in the game.
Co-Founders and Former Players
Troy Jones, who is a former college quarterback, said that the game was the future and that, at StatusPRO, they looked at it as a new way in which fans will consume sports and experience gaming.
When creating the game, Jones was joined by Andrew Hawkins, another former player – an NFL wide receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. The two co-founders and former players hope that their understanding of the game can make the whole NFL PRO ERA virtual experience even more authentic.
NFL PRO ERA is not the first collaboration that StatusPRO has had with NFL teams and players. The company also worked with NFL teams over the last two years in developing virtual reality technology that teams could use to better prepare for games.
Being the Quarterback
StatusPRO executive producer Jay Juneau said that the biggest difference between the game and their previous work for the NFL was that they were now looking at things “purely from the players’ perspective.”
In other words, when you play the game, you realize what it is like to be a quarterback who is at the line of scrimmage. You see the things they see and do the things they do.
So, instead of criticizing a quarterback for making a poor pass, Jones said, you could now see if you would have been able to make that pass. You would be able to make the decisions and be Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, or any other quarterback you see on TV. Juneau also had some good news for those looking for even more authenticity and said that there would be around 200 faces of players that will be almost identical to the players you know and love. The same goes for numbers, body types, and statistics. However, due to the limitations of virtual reality technology some faces would have to be generic.
