Manchester City are seeking to be the first football club to truly embrace the power of the metaverse by constructing the world’s first virtual football stadium.
In a bid to engage with fans around the world and better monetise that relationship with a global audience, City are working with virtual reality experts at Sony to create a virtual Etihad in the metaverse that would allow fans to watch games through virtual reality, according to inews.
The report claims City have inked a three-year deal with Sony to develop the software with the goal being to fill the Etihad virtually and create another potentially lucrative revenue stream into the club, who became the first Premier League club to outstrip Manchester United for revenues when they posted their 2020/21 financial results last month that saw them generate £569.8m in revenues despite the impact of the pandemic and a season of fans being unable to attend games.
It is the latest move from City to add to their commercial portfolio and create new avenues to bring money into the club in a bid to try and create greater distance…
