Fans can play alongside champions Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber in AO Tennis, the most authentic video game ever developed for tennis. AO Tennis is the first tennis game to market since 2012 and is the first ever to incorporate decades of real match statistical data to accurately recreate the playing styles of stars like Nadal and Kerber within the game.
Tennis Australia has partnered with Australia’s leading sports game developer and publisher, Big Ant Studios, to build the game as part of a long-term strategy to better engage the AO’s global fan base and drive interest and participation in the sport. “Every day we are constantly looking for ways to enable our fans to engage more deeply and more often in the Australian Open, and having the opportunity to play AO Tennis fully immerses them in this incredible event,” Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
“We wanted to ensure this is the most authentic tennis video game ever created, so that our fans can not only have a great AO experience, but a great tennis video game experience. On top of all of that, they get a tennis experience from the couch which we hope leads them on to the court.”
Extensive research from Tennis Australia’s Game Insight Group (GIG) uncovered which shots the players opted to use in every situation throughout a match and was used to enhance the artificial intelligence (AI) of the athletes, creating what promises to be a much richer experience for gamers. “With previous tennis games, the world No.1 would be challenging to beat, because his or her in-game attributes would be programmed to make very few errors. That worked well at the time, but it’s not the only feature of the world’s best players so we’ve been able to take things to the next level,” Tennis Australia’s Head of Innovation, Machar Reid said.
Big Ant CEO Ross Symons said. “In AO Tennis Rafael Nadal is the hardest player to beat because in game he plays like his real life counterpart; he plays a game style befitting the No.1 player in the world.”
Available on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC, AO Tennis launches in Australia & New Zealand during the Australian Open 2018. The game is available for pre-order now.