NFL and StatusPRO Announce Annual VR Video Game Series

The NFL and sports technology company StatusPRO have announced a new video game series that will release annually for PlayStation VR and Meta Quest. At this time, no name has been revealed for the series, but the VR football game will take place from a first-person perspective, potentially giving players a view on the field much different from the Madden franchise. However, the NFL sees the new VR series as something that can exist alongside its current offerings from Electronic Arts. In a press release, Joe Ruggiero, the SVP of Consumer Products for the NFL, talked up the partnership.

"Virtual reality gaming is rapidly expanding and our partnership with StatusPRO allows us to explore a new immersive version of NFL gaming with support of the two largest VR platforms within this emerging space," said Ruggiero. "We are seeing a growing number of fans engaging with VR and we're excited to launch the first-ever VR gaming title that complements our existing offerings in the market today."

StatusPRO is working to make the game feel authentic to the NFL experience. StatusPRO co-founder and president Andrew "Hawk" Hawkins believes the game could offer a level of immersion unheard of in sports games currently on the market.

"We keep the athlete first in everything we do, and as former football players it means even more to be able to recreate what it actually feels like to step out on the field. Through our proprietary technology at StatusPRO, we can deliver an immersive experience that helps NFL fans transform into pro athletes," said Hawkins.

Virtual reality remains a niche part of the video game industry. On PlayStation, the buy-in price is pretty expensive on top of the cost of the console, and many Oculus users have been unhappy with Facebook's account requirements. However, PlayStation and Meta are pushing VR as the future, and it will be interesting to see whether the two companies will be able to sell it to the general public. There are a lot of hurdles, but having an annual NFL series could attract a lot more users!

What do you think of this announcement? Do you think you'd be interested in a VR football game? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!