ESPN and virtual reality content provider Jaunt released on Friday the first College GameDay VR experience as part of their content and technology deal that is expected to result in a continuing series to bring college football fans closer to the game.
Narrated by ESPN’s Rece Davis, the four-minute piece gives fans a 360-degree view of the College GameDay experience before Clemson’s game on Oct. 1 against Louisville and inside Memorial Stadium as the game’s most exciting plays take place.
The experience brings the passion of college football to life, as a fan holds up a sign to ridicule disgraced former Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, players do their traditional run down the hill on their way to the field, and cheerleaders go crazy as cameras give the viewer a perspective from the sideline.
Viewers can access the piece on the Jaunt VR App for iOS, Android, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Desktop 360 or also on Jaunt’s website.
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Jaunt crews are working with ESPN to film several College GameDay stops in VR this season, as Disney is an investor in the company. Jaunt has deals with multiple divisions of The Walt Disney Company, including ESPN.
“We’re happy to discover Jaunt, which creates VR experiences that are so much like being there that ESPN and Disney took notice, took an interest, and got excited,” ESPN president John Skipper said.
Jaunt announced last week it licensed Disney Research’s VR technology and will be collaborating with Disney’s innovation arm to integrate it into Jaunt’s Cloud Services in order to create vivid and immersive VR experiences. Jaunt was among those participating in the Disney Accelerator program and Demo Day in Burbank, Calif. On that day, the company presented a portion of the Clemson experience.