Next weekend at Oracle Arena, ESL and SLIVER.tv will partner for the first eSports tournament broadcast live in virtual reality.
The world’s largest eSports company and virtual reality entertainment platform will live stream Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends at Intel Extreme Masters on Nov. 19-20.
“SLIVER.tv is helping us raise the bar for VR live streaming with VRLiveStats,” ESL product manager Stuart Ewen said in a statement. “Having a real-time in depth look at everything that happens in a CS:GO match is something unique to a VR broadcast. Now, viewers not only have a bird’s eye view of all the action and a first person feed, but also all of the statistics to put together a high level view of how a round or match unfolds. All of this is only possible in a VR environment.”
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Through the virtual reality experience, fans will receive real-time augmented statistics integrated into the live stream while also being able to watch the action in a first-person perspective. Additionally, fans will get up-close-and-personal with the players and have the opportunity to watch real-time replays throughout the broadcast.
“We’re thrilled to work with ESL to showcase our VRLiveStats technology,” Mitch Liu, Co-Founder and CEO of SLIVER.tv, said in a statement. “Our vision is to transform the eSports spectator landscape forever, and incorporating augmented live stats into our VR 360 live-streams of CS:GO and LoL is a big step towards this vision. Fans around the world can now access valuable game stats and information in real-time, all within a natural and immersive VR experience.”
Viewers will be able to watch the event in virtual reality via a few mediums, including website, smartphone or VR headset through SLIVER.tv’s platform. The broadcast will also be available to fans who download the SLIVER.tv GearVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive apps to experience it in full virtual reality.