EA has agreed to purchase TRACAB Technologies to enhance its sports franchises.
The publisher said TRACAB, which is billed as a “leader in advanced sports optical tracking and analysis solutions,” will join EA Sports for an undisclosed fee.
It claimed the company’s tools will help developers create lifelike animations and simulate real-world action, while also supporting its wider efforts to “harness advanced AI machine learning”
“Data is at the center of every meaningful advancement in the world of sports today, and as EA Sports leads the future of interactive sports experience through the use of more and more real-world data, and TRACAB will bring more best-in-class capture and data technologies directly into our portfolio,” said EA Sports president Cam Weber.
“As we continue to evolve our EA Sports experiences into living, breathing simulations of sport, we expect TRACAB’s cutting-edge technology and expertise in live event data combined with our game engine to also accelerate groundbreaking new features in the EA Sports App.”
In a blog post, EA said TRACAB’s technology tracks “nearly everything happening on the field or pitch at 60Hz per second” and is capable of generating 600 million data points per game–including 65 unique data points per player and referee.
It collects that information by capturing live skeleton data from 21 joints on each individual body on the pitch, and is also capable to tracking centre of mass and objects such as soccer balls.
“These capabilities can unlock a new level of enhanced realism, animation and dynamic, real time simulation for our fans and allow EA Sports to leverage TRACAB’s ability to generate near real-time insights for media broadcast teams, referees, players, coaches, and fans,” added EA.
“We can further transform player stats, behaviors, and team AI with new levels of fidelity, and continue delivering more deeply immersive experiences that mirror the fluidity and excitement of real athletes and competition.”
The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of the next fiscal year.