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Sony announced its FavoriteSpace service to bring sports fan communities together and provide a venue for fans to interface with each other, teams, and players.
The FavoriteSpace venue will allow fans sharing the same “favorites” to interact.
Sony also revealed its FavoriteSpace smartphone app, which will have various virtual “areas” where fans can get together. The first area is packed with content from Manchester City Football Club. Sony plans to expand the service by adding more areas and content for other teams and sports.
These virtual areas will allow fans to uncover their favorite team’s history and philosophy. They will explore virtual environments with their customized avatars, interact with other fans, and view team-specific content.
Visit Etihad Stadium in FavoriteSpace’s Manchester City Area
Sony has been working with Manchester City as the club’s official Virtual Fan Engagement Partner since 2021 to develop the Manchester City Area, taking on board fan feedback and conducting a proof of concept (PoC).
In the Manchester City Area, fans can visit a virtual recreation of Etihad Stadium with their avatars and view content like Immersive Highlights, which features highlights from past games in 3DCG.
Avatars can gather in the virtual space to share their passion for their team with emoticons, various interactions, and stamps. Fans will be able to customize their avatars with uniforms and goods and create banners. The space will also host events on match days, allowing teams and players to interact with their fans.
The FavoriteSpace app is now available in a trial version limited to free functions. This is a preview of the full official app, which will launch in October with paid functions. Sony’s app is currently available in the US, UK, and Japan.
