As this post goes live we’re a mere 24 hours away from the biggest sporting event on the Australian gaming calendar, but before the Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans go head to head in the AFL Grand Final, we have the opportunity to cast our eye beyond that match to the next entry in the series of video game adaptations of the world sport’s greatest secret.
As the framework of the AFL Grand Final is being built around Melbourne’s Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), one notable building will stick out to gamers, the space occupied by video game developer Big Ant Studios. Big Ant has long been known for their excellent work adapting Cricket titles to the video game world with the likes of Big Bash Boom and Cricket 22 being amongst the most recent entries. The studio has also been responsible for Tennis adaptations like AO Tennis, work with the Rugby League license with Rugby League Live, and they even did ports of Spyro: A New Beginning, and Spyro: The Eternal Night, some 15 years ago. What often gets lost in the shuffle is that at one stage they also had the license to the AFL, developing AFL Live whilst they had it, but the license was lost and they’ve been without it since – until now. AFL 2023 is on the way, developed by Big Ant, and those looking to see a little bit of what it has in store only have to drop into the MCG tomorrow to check it out for themselves.
As reported by Press-Start, players are able to access a set shot demo at the ground, where players can assume the role of either Geelong Cats superstar Patrick Dangerfield, or Sydney Swans 1000 goal kicker, and record breaker Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, and work through their approach to goal from a range of different distances and angles. Big Ant’s demo has focussed on the job of replicating the unique approaches that both players take as they march towards goal with Buddy’s natural left-leaning arc, and ‘Danger’s long strides and booming right leg. It’s instantly noticeable the changes that have come from Big Ant regaining the license with lighting improvements, and greater attention to detail in the player’s faces and movements. Press-Start has also gotten their hands on some off-screen recordings of the demo, which shows the unique celebrations of both players as well.
AFL 2023 is due to release sometime in 2023 but fans can go hands-on with the game this weekend at the AFL Grand Final if they cannot wait. The demo is a work-in-progress build and not representative of the final product, but still highlights the focal points of the Big Ant development team. AFL 2023 does not yet have any announced platforms though based on the studio’s track record we can assume it will launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
And if you will indulge this Geelong supporting writer for just a moment – Go Cats!
