Supercars has revealed it plans to invest and expand into the eSports place, announcing on its blog that “an official virtual version of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship is in the works as part of the category’s efforts to reach a younger audience.”
Based on early reports, Supercars plan to make use of the existing platforms and games (like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport) – at least for now – to host tournaments and attempt to cultivate a tournament-level community.
While establishing a fully professional league is said to be some way off, Supercars CEO James Warburton says Supercars is well placed to engage with the youth-dominated industry and that a partnership with retailers Harvey Norman will see the brand make their first steps towards realizing those ambitions.
Calling their eSports venture a vision they share with the retailer, Warburton says that “the ability to bring Bathurst to life through an eSports event and giving fans the ability to race against our Supercars drivers is…a logical option.”
The growing eSports industry is estimated to be worth approximately $1 billion in revenue.
The Australian football league made a similar move back in May.
