Esports company ESL and virtual reality entertainment platform Sliver.tv have unveiled their latest joint initiative by stating they will launch the first virtual esports stadium experience.
ESL and Sliver.tv are engaged in an ongoing partnership and said the new service will be provided to fans worldwide in 360° VR at the 2017 Intel Extreme Masters World Championship, which will be held on February 25-26 and March 3-5 in Katowice, Poland.
While IEM Katowice 2017 is projected to far surpass last year’s 113,000 attendees in the Spodek Katowice stadium, millions of fans globally will also watch Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and League of Legends (LoL) live streams online and in 360° VR on Sliver.tv.
The new virtual esports stadium experience will feature dynamic lighting that is synchronised and changes as the game is played, capturing the mood of the match. Online viewers will see their avatars in the 360° VR stadium, interact with other live viewers through emojis and access live stats, replays and scores in real-time.
Mitch Liu, co-founder and chief executive of Sliver.tv, said: “We’re excited to take this first step towards making esports spectating into a highly social, live, and engaging experience to CS:GO and LoL fans worldwide. This is an integral part of our mission to transform the interactive esports entertainment industry.”