Ashes Cricket will feature “full player licence, photo-real player scans, 1:1 stadium recreations, so you can play along with every ball to win the greatest trophy in cricket".
Due in November, Ashes Cricket is being developed by Big Ant Studios, which bills itself as “Australia’s premier sports video game developer".
The game has been “developed in close collaboration with Cricket Australia”, and is billed as “the most realistic and authentic recreation of the sport ever created".
It’s easy to believe this, given the game will feature “real cricketers, battling it out on real grounds, right from the comfort of your lounge room and will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in November this year".
{loadposition alex08}The embedded video below gives an example of what the game will look like, and if it is real in-game play and not just a fancy video, cricket fans are going to be in for a real treat!
The game promises it is the “first cricket game from Big Ant to be fully licensed, utilises their celebrated photogrammetry technology, which enables photo-real likenesses of the complete men’s and women’s Australian and English cricket teams to be rendered in-game".
Added to this is the fully licensed stadiums, “recreated in stunning detail”, so that “players will feel like they’re right there on the field as they play".
Big Ant chief executive Ross Symons said: “There is no competition in cricket that has the heritage and prestige of the Ashes competition We’ve worked hard to build on our existing experience with cricket to deliver a truly realistic game of cricket to our fans.”
We’re told that players who are looking “for a break from the heat of the Commonwealth Bank Women’s Ashes and Magellan Men’s Ashes competitions”, will find “all the much-loved features from Big Ant’s sports games making a return to Ashes Cricket".
This means that “players will be able to create their own players, teams, stadiums and logos. They’ll also be able to create their own competitions and types of matches, from a short, furious five-over match, right through to extended, multi-nation Test match tours.”
Additionally, “players will be able to enjoy a comprehensive career mode that allows them to take their own customised junior cricketer all the way to the ultimate dream; captaining their country to Ashes victory".
Symons added: “Time and time again players tell us the feature they love most about our cricket games is the deep customisation options.
“We have produced a true Ashes Cricket game, through and through, but we’ve also made sure that our heritage in sports games remains true”.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said: “Cricket Australia’s new strategy recognises the growing role that gaming can play in reaching younger fans, and by working with the likes of Big Ant to develop products that meet this need we are positioning ourselves as leaders in the cricket gaming space globally.
“The anticipation for the summer of cricket is building and this game will give our fans another way to be a part of the cricket excitement.”
England Cricket Board commercial director Sanjay Patel said: “We want cricket to be relevant and accessible to the e-sports generation, helping us develop an even bigger nationwide following for the game at every level. Ashes Cricket has been designed to be as life-like and authentic as possible. It’s the ideal way for fans to recreate all the excitement and tension of a real-life Ashes contest in their own living rooms.”
Set to be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in November this year, pre-orders for Ashes Cricket are now open, with the company extending an invitation for you to join the Ashes Cricket community on Facebook.
