Work has been tirelessly going on behind the scenes in the Nacon production department with a new rugby video game set to hit the markets in the coming months — Rugby 24.
Handled by Australian gaming developer, Big Ant Studios, Rugby 24 is designed to create a buzz among sports fans, and it will be released on September 7, a day before the latest edition of the Rugby World Cup is poised to get underway.
Ant Studios has been gaining a reputation in the sports gaming arena, and it has a solid track of bringing out amazing video games, such as Cricket 22 and Tennis Tour 2.
And it seems they have a few tricks up their sleeve to gain a new legion of supporters. A few things have been kept under wraps, but this is what we know so far. We have provided an update too, so read on to find out more.
Customized content
Eko Software, a Paris-based gaming studio, was initially supposed to be responsible for presiding over the development of the game, but that has now fallen into the capable hands of Big Ant Studios.
They will have the licensing rights to 130 teams, and the gaming content will be largely based on what is found on AFL 2023 and Cricket 24.
And Nacon product manager, Clement Nicolin, admitted in an interview earlier this year that he is excited about the gameplay incorporated in Rugby 24.
He said: “In terms of pure gameplay, Big Ant has really come in with fresh ideas. Making a rugby game is challenging in terms of game design with a lot of particular phases like the lineouts, the rucks, the mauls, etc.
“But they have really nice ideas about that and we can’t wait to be able to show it to the community.”
Speaking more specifically about the customized offerings, Nicolin added: “Big Ant is known for that and we will continue moving in that direction.
“On where we want to go forward with that, it’s giving the players more options in terms of body type, the shape of the face of the player they’re creating and so on.”
Ultimate Team feature
There has been a close eye kept on developments, and it seems that there will be an Ultimate Team mode that will be embedded which will mirror what gaming fans will fondly remember from the FIFA franchise, whereby you can pull the strings and manage a dream side to glory.
After all, who doesn’t want to play alongside the greats of the game? Australia and New Zealand are two rugby union powerhouses, and the latter have lifted the World Cup three times — a joint record with South Africa — and the All Blacks will be gunning for more glory in France in the autumn.
But while New Zealand has redefined the rugby union landscape, rugby league has been dominated by the Aussies. Indeed, the men from Down Under clinched their sixth Rugby League World Cup in 2022 by demolishing Samoa 30-10, and their status as a rugby league powerhouse is reflected by the quality of the NRL. Interest in the NRL from a betting perspective has also surged in the past few years.
For example, you won’t have much trouble locating trusted NRL betting sites to play at. The likes of Unibet and PlayUp are renowned sites that are well versed in covering NRL, and you will find a list of carefully sourced odds for each game. On the outright front, the odds will change throughout the campaign, but at the time of writing, the Penrith Panthers are the shortest price at 43/20 to lift the title.
Final Thoughts
Of course, any new sports video game that is in the throes of being readied for release will be warmly embraced. It will be fascinating to see how everything is threaded together, as rugby is arguably more complicated to cover from a gaming perspective compared to other sports. That said, the timing of Rugby 24’s official unveiling couldn’t be better, and expect rugby fever to soar over the coming months.
