Atlanta Braves
- ‘Digital Truist Park’ powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine
- Fans able to create avatars, access exclusive content and experience interactive features
- Nearby Battery Atlanta shopping centre also recreated digitally
The Atlanta Braves have become the first Major League Baseball (MLB) team to enter the metaverse with a digital recreation of the franchise’s Truist Park home.
Powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine technology, fans will be able to visit a photo-realistic digital twin of the ballpark, as well as the Battery Atlanta shopping centre, in an ‘immersive, multiplayer environment’ streamed directly to browsers.
Once inside ‘Digital Truist Park’, users will be able to create avatars, explore areas such as the Braves clubhouse, access exclusive content, meet other fans, experience interactive features, play games and win prizes.
The Braves said that the rollout of Digital Truist Park, as well as future Web3.0 innovations, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cryptocurrencies and blockchain, will enable the franchise to engage with future generations of fans.
“It’s exciting to create a new way for our fans to connect with our team and their favourite ballpark,” said Derek Schiller, Atlanta Braves president and chief executive.
“The digital version of Truist Park will offer limitless opportunities to create unique fan engagements in the metaverse and we are proud to be the first team to offer this immersive experience.
“We look forward to building enhancements along the way which will continue to showcase the innovation of the Braves brand in the digital world.”
The Braves join various sports leagues and teams in heading to the metaverse. Notably, the National Football League (NFL) opened a virtual store in the Roblox video game in November, before adding a new experience ahead of last weekend’s Super Bowl. In soccer, English champions Manchester City partnered with Sony for a digital recreation of the club’s Etihad Stadium as part of efforts to develop new digital fan experiences.
