UK broadcaster Sky Sports is partnering with EA Sports to bring virtual crowd noise to behind-closed-doors soccer matches.
When the Premier League eventually restarts on June 17, players and fans will need to adapt to the new normal of matches being played out in empty stadiums as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the German Bundesliga has already shown, it makes for a peculiar — almost eerie — atmosphere, where calls from players and coaching staff can be heard echoing around the empty venues.
To help generate some sort of authentic atmosphere during its live broadcasts, Sky has worked with the EA Sports FIFA team to create a range of “bespoke and team-specific” crowd noises and chants that will likely be familiar to anybody who’s played FIFA 20.
Viewers will be able to toggle crowd noise on and off during matches, and it’ll be interesting to see how effective the method is at replicating the high-stakes atmosphere of Premier League soccer as Liverpool look to clinch their first title in 20 years and other teams fight to secure Champions League spots and avoid the drop.