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Pichot is right… if you're a globally large sport you should have a video game that accurately represents it
Coronavirus is dominating headlines and having a detrimental effect on anyone who works in or watches live sport, but it has created opportunities to broadcast esports where instead of watching someone to play a sport you watch them play video games.
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Already we have seen League 2 football club Leyton Orient stage a 128-team FIFA tournament to raise funds for English clubs, F1 launched a virtual grand prix series to replace the F1 races called off, while there was also the virtual running of horse racing’s cancelled Grand National.
Rugby hasn’t been ignored. Here at RugbyPass, a FIFA tournament has kept high profile characters of northern hemisphere professional rugby – the likes Mako Vunipola, Ellis Genge, Adam Hastings and Jack Nowell to name just four – occupied in trying to find the region’s best rugby player at FIFA.
Major League Rugby, the USA’s professional league, also launched an online tournament on Twitch where players representing each of the clubs in the 12-team league play Rugby 20, the PlayStation/Xbox game published at the start of the year. Then there is Munster, the Irish club who this week announced a partnership with Phelan Gaming to participate in esports events under the Munster name.
These recent developments should open the mind to endless possibilities, as rugby is a sport that needs new fans and new generations to take up the game at an early stage and stay fans. It’s not a small sport but it cannot compare to football, which is in a completely different realm.
Many people get into rugby – or any sport for that matter – through being taken to their local club as a child, but a new way for kids to get into a sport is through video games, one of the largest industries in the world and the choice of leisure activity for many young people.
With the world at a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is now a realisation that people can become sports fans through playing electronic games instead of actually playing the sport itself.
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Even World Rugby vice-president Agustin Pichot has cottoned on, mentioning this past week during his electioneering to become chairman in next month’s election that rugby hasn’t really captured the imagination of those who love their sports via a games console.
“Rugby’s old-fashioned in terms of technology,” he said. “I see my kids today and realise the importance of e-sports for the new generations. They play Fortnite, League of Legends, FIFA. All of the established sports markets are connected with digital games and that is a huge means of attracting a younger audience. FIFA 2020, NBA 2K20, NFL Madden.
“Rugby hasn’t had a decent game since Jonah Lomu Rugby in 1995, so that would be part of the remit for a dedicated World Rugby innovation department. You need to think about how you approach the modern fan. Young boys and girls. It’s not rocket science.”
Pichot’s statement on Jonah Lomu Rugby 1995 being ‘the only decent rugby game’ might have been harsh. EA Sports’ Rugby 08 is still fondly remembered. But you catch Pichot’s drift – if you’re a globally large sport you should have a video game that accurately represents it.
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This isn’t easy when a publishing giant such as EA hasn’t had anything to do with rugby since its last release twelve years ago, but there is no excuse for not trying and rugby has some serious questions to answer.
There have been nine video games released since Rugby 08. Of those, five have been playable and some were pretty good, including Rugby Challenge 1 which came out in 2011. Rugby Challenge 2 followed in 2013 and was officially licensed by that year’s Lions tour. Three years later, Rugby Challenge 3 was published while in January this year Rugby 20 came on the market, gaining some positive traction with features such as a rugby version of FIFA’s ultimate soccer team.
Highlights of @EllisGenge being good at FIFA ? #RugbyPassFIFAPros pic.twitter.com/CZmdNO4X1w
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 4, 2020
Sadly, the other rugby games in the last while were a waste of time and money, highlighting the need for better products if the sport is to really crack the games market and grab the attention of younger audiences.
Not that a successful game will mean instant popularity everywhere. American football, for instance, still hasn’t become one of the UK’s top ten biggest sports, but sales of its Madden video game continue to grow and it surely should help grow the sport’s appeal.
The bottom line is that well-made games sell. NBA 2K20, the poster game for basketball, has sold eight million copies since launching last September while ice hockey’s NHL 20 has clocked sales of 1.3m sales so far, numbers rugby can only dream about achieving at the moment.
What is clear is that the coronavirus stoppage of live sport, allied to Pichot’s recent commentary, should pique the interests of games publishers who have steered clear of rugby. Last year’s World Cup in Japan was a tremendous success and the time must be ripe for a proper video game product to give rugby more of a global esports presence.
Comments on RugbyPass
Jake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
11 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
11 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
11 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to comments