A new consortium led by ESL UK has been awarded £4 million by the UK government to create new “immersive audience experiences” for esports fans.
They will feature technology including Artificial Intelligence, 8K, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Extended Reality (real and virtual combined environments that bring all these technologies together).
The Weavr Consortium consists of ESL UK, The University of York, Dock10, data firm Cybula, VR rig provider Focal Point VR and AR content studio Rewind.
The £5.8 million project will operate over two years, with £4 million of its funding coming from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK Government’s non-departmental public body for innovation and research.
The funding is part of the Industry Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF). Its ‘Audience of the Future’ challenge specifically looks to bring the UK’s creative businesses, researchers and technologists together to create “the next generation of highly immersive experiences”.
