The Weavr consortium, of which REWIND is part of, has reached a major new milestone with the latest release of the technology platform. Now, esports fans can immerse themselves in matches like never before.
Weavr’s updated mobile app and virtual reality experience were unveiled to thousands of fans who gathered at ESL One Hamburg to watch the live Dota 2 action. For the first time ever, the consortium made the app available for public download on the Google Play Store. It was downloaded and used by fans watching in the arena as well as those following the matches from home. And in another first, the consortium broadcast live in virtual reality to some of the ESL Play community in the UK.
The consortium was thrilled with the reaction from fans and talent alike and was delighted to see broadcast analysts in Hamburg starting to use the Weavr dashboard which helped them to formulate their narrative. Of those who downloaded the app, 82% used it on a repeated basis, clearly showing how useful a tool it is for fans wanting to know more about the performance of players and teams as well as win predictions.
The updated app and introduction of virtual reality into the platform represents a major step forward towards the consortium’s goal of creating a truly immersive and highly personalised experience for esports fans.
Whilst in Hamburg, the Weavr team were joined by Dota 2 player and coach, Robson ‘TeaGuvnor’ Merritt and caster Gabriel ‘Lyrical’ Cruz who helped to demonstrate the platform to fans there.
James Dean, ESL UK CEO, commented:
“We said at the start of this project that we wanted to move away from linear ‘one-for-all’ coverage towards hyper-personalised experiences. Here at Hamburg we have just taken a huge step towards reaching that goal. Experiences are tailored to each viewer’s interests, they are fully interactive, and provide individualised insights into matches in real-time.
“And it’s not just fans here in Hamburg who have been impressed; people have also been downloading the app from home. The feedback we have received both here in Hamburg and further afield has been fantastic, and we are already planning for the next stage at ESL One Birmingham which takes place next year.”
Robson ‘TeaGuvnor’ Merritt added:
“While spending time with the Weavr team at ESL One Hamburg, it became clear that the work they are doing has the potential to grow into something that is an integral part of the esports viewing experience; benefiting both the broadcaster & the viewer.”
The newly-released app detects extraordinary moments and performances and serves users a story feed that is tailored to what matters to them most. They are able to track and compare the performance of their favourite players in real-time, including unique stats. The app also includes Weavr’s brand new tool Performance Index, a new statistic driven by machine learning that shows how each player affects their team’s chance to win.
Whilst in Hamburg, the consortium conducted detailed research with fans and feedback will be incorporated into the future development of the platform.
The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for free at esl.im/weavrapp, but will only be fully compatible at selected live events where the Weavr team are present.
