The Los Angeles Rams claimed a first for the NFL after debuting a new augmented reality experience at SoFi Stadium through a partnership with the ARound platform.
Debuting during the Rams’ home game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the fan-focused technology experience uses 3D spatial computing to localise content to individual users throughout SoFi Stadium.
Stadium naming-rights partner SoFi is sponsoring the experience, which first launched in August with the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball team. ARound is part of the Stagwell Marketing Cloud and enables fans at SoFi Stadium to see the same real-time 3D effects and participate in the same shared experiences.
Fans can use the ARound Stadium app to point their smartphone towards the field, which opens up a range of AR effects, allowing them to interact with the stadium and fellow fans in real time.
Features of the Rams experience include Infinity in 3D, which enables fans to view effects such as ‘Rampede’ and ‘Make Noise’ on the stadium’s 70,000-square-foot video board, The Infinity Screen.
Players will also be visible in 3D via the app, while fans can enjoy games from their home through a life-size virtual stadium experience, which mirrors what is happening at SoFi Stadium.
SoFi, the digital personal finance company, has signed on as ARound’s first platform partner with stadium-wide AR games, contests, effects and a remote experience amplifying the Rams’ game-day experience and the SoFi brand.
Marissa Daly, vice-president and general manager of Los Angeles Rams Studios, said: “We are thrilled to team with ARound and SoFi to incorporate AR into gamedays at the Rams House in unprecedented ways.
“This experience is a continuation of the game-changing ways we’ve partnered with SoFi at SoFi Stadium and across Los Angeles to elevate the fan experience on game days and beyond.”
Josh Beatty, founder and chief executive of ARound, added: “Fans come to the stadium to feel closer to the game, to the players, and to other fans. We developed ARound to enhance those feelings through highly immersive and interactive AR experiences that complement the action on the field.
“And with products like Apple and Google AR Glasses already in development we’re excited to open up the living room to blended TV experiences we know are the future of broadcast entertainment.”
The Twins introduced the ARound platform at Target Field back in August. The platform allows Twins fans to point their smartphone at the field to open up a range of multi-use AR games, which are designed to be played by interfacing with the physical ballpark and fellow fans in real time.
