Pulse
VIRTUAL SPORTS TECHNOLOGY
Steven Spartinos, CEO and co-founder, Kiron Interactive
“Although each part of the How important is the level of realism?
Te realism of virtual sports plays a massive role in the success of our games, driving an overall comprehensive and entertaining experience to the player. Achieving the most accurate realism helps capture the real-life atmosphere of the sport itself, providing the excitement, pace and engagement that makes the game offer real appeal to bettors.
Te other key component is the player betting experience, replicating the popular betting markets that fans relate to. When this is paired with technically impressive animation, it brings us as close to the real-life counterpart as we can get. Te more realistic and dynamic the virtual experience is, the more it will appeal to the more traditional sports punter. Staying consistent in developing an advanced betting experience maintains the status of virtuals as a key complement to real sports betting.
What specific technologies do you employ to create your products? Is there a stage of the process that is more crucial than others?
Modern technology has been a real boon to virtuals. Motion capture, CGI and wider animation tech has advanced considerably and provided us as a studio with powerful tools to create the best and most realistic titles.
Although each part of the process is equally important, the planning phase of the product is vital before each segment is implemented. Te research behind the development of the title, understanding the game and understanding what the players are attracted to are of the utmost importance. Knowing your audience is the best preparation though - having a key understanding of what your market is interested in is where all the magic begins!
Has the last decade proven most influential in the development of virtual sports?
Absolutely. Advancements in technology have certainly contributed to the success of virtual sports. Further, their success in a number of key markets have contributed to growing their footprint on an accelerated basis across the globe. Of course, the closure of live sports and events in 2020 gave the industry that extra nudge too.
Te last three or four years have seen a large push in terms of speed to market, comparable to
P118 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
process is equally important, the planning phase of the
product is vital before each segment is implemented. The research behind the development of the title,
understanding the game and understanding what the
players are attracted to are of the utmost importance. Knowing your audience is the best preparation though -
having a key understanding of what your market is interested in is where all the magic begins!”
Steven Spartinos
“The growth of virtual sports is driven by further development and investment, just as it is in the video gaming industry. We’ve learned that games should be developed with the player experience consistently at the fore while having a
comprehensive understanding of the market. Players are
more demanding than they’ve ever been, and this is, in part, due to the success and growth of the video game industry and its evolution into the leading entertainment form that it has become.” Steven Spartinos
the growth of esports. Game portfolios are growing more dynamically, in-play betting options are available in games and more real- life elements are being presented. Te development is more rapid, with a focus on creating captivating games that are relative to current events. Tese have all combined to elevate virtual sports to its current position of occupying its own vertical.
What technology advancement has made the biggest impact in the virtuals market?
Te incorporation of motion capture allows the animations to be more realistic and compliments CGI. Tere is a stark difference in games that use motion capture to those that don’t, and players have become accustomed to this.
In a recent report it has been estimated that the full value of the gaming industry (video games, including esports) now exceeds US$300bn, more than the combined markets for movies and music – has this been the source of any inspiration for the development of your products? What can be learned from this success to help drive virtual growth?
Yes. Te growth of virtual sports is driven by further development and investment, just as it is in the video gaming industry. We’ve learned that games should be developed with the player experience consistently at the fore while having a comprehensive understanding of the market. Players are more demanding than they’ve ever been, and this is, in part, due to the success and growth of the video game industry and its evolution into the leading entertainment form that it has become.
What does the future hold for virtuals and the tech that powers it?
For virtual sports, the sky is the limit. We are only now beginning to truly understand how technology is evolving and shaping how we view and interact with games as a whole. Te industry is so competitive and that is what drives continuous innovation. If we look at how one of our latest innovations has been developed, Vision X, it’s more data-friendly and easily accessible from a mobile device, making it more suitable to many markets. Tis is just one of several projects that we’re working hard on and with the availability of new tech and consumers’ ready adoption of it, there’s a whole lot more to come.
Kiron Intera Competition continuous
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