Instead of Cleveland Cavaliers fans just watching the video board at Quicken Loans Arena, they can now interact with it throughout the NBA Playoffs via a virtual pop-a-shot feature.
As part of a pre-existing relationship with Pittsburgh-based mobile app and software developer YinzCam, which has built and hosts 23 of the league’s team apps, the Cavaliers decided to create a first-of-its-kind augmented reality app so fans could shoot virtual buckets on the HUMONGOTRON in The Q.
“I really wanted a communal moment inside the venue,” Priya Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of YinzCam said as she began to discussions with the team’s digital staff.
“Let’s look at the video board, it’s visible from every seat in the house, and what if we could turn the video board into a virtual hoop?”
Cavaliers fans 21+ can now download the “Deep in the Q” app via the iOS or Android app stores. They’ll be encouraged by in-arena hosts to point their smartphones at the team’s main scoreboard during timeouts and swipe their screens to shoot virtually at an augmented reality hoop.
Mike Conley, Cavaliers Vice President of Digital, explained that the game, which is sponsored by Bud Light, works on image triggers (pictured right).
Fans are split into different sections to compete against each other to win prizes depending on their scores and shooting streaks. The Cavaliers then capture the images in real time and display them on the jumbotron for everyone to see.
If a fan nets 10 shots in a row, he or she automatically qualifies for a prize to redeem in the arena’s Social Zone for unlocking a specific achievement.
“As we were testing it, I was literally way up in the corner of the arena, in the nosebleeds, literally flicking shots at our scoreboard, making baskets off of my phone. So that part was really neat,” Conley said in a statement.
Want to be famous #AmongFriends?
Stop by our @BudLight Zone by section 123 & shoot your shot with our new #DeepInTheQ app!#DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/KEoezrhBld
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 17, 2017
Inside the Social Zone, fans will also have a chance to play one-on-one as they leverage the new AR feature. Additionally, throughout the Cleveland market as part of the Bud Light partnership, fans can point the dedicated AR app at Cavaliers-Bud Light co-branded signage or at Bud Light cans and bottles to play and also check out how they compare against others.
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Previously, both organizations have collaborated on other innovative endeavors like a virtual NBA championship ring last October that actually proved to be faulty for a few fans. To correct the malfunction, though, the Cavaliers released printable paper rings, launching an augmented reality championship ring-wearing experience.
“Working with Mike Conley and the Cavaliers is a source of inspiration to us because they push the envelope in technology, and are constantly thinking about the next new mobile and digital experience to delight their fans,” Narasimhan said in a statement.
.@cavs digital zone augmented reality pop-a-shot in partnership with our friends @budlight pic.twitter.com/qulxIfYbT2
— Sumers (@JDSumers) April 17, 2017