Sander Schouten and Nicolaas Westerhofbeyond sports (2)
Sander Schouten
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Nicolaas Westerhof
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Beyond Sports
Sony-owned Beyond Sports started by building immersive experiences for tactical analysis before realizing the broad consumer appeal of taking tracking data and rendering animated variations of the sport. These creations are still rooted in the authenticity of the gameplay but are presented in a way that captures the imagination and attention span of young or novice fans. Sander Schouten and Nicolaas Westerhof brought this to life for North American audiences this year in collaboration with ESPN by producing the “Big City Greens Classic,” an NHL game animated in the setting of the Disney cartoon, and the “Toy Story Funday Football,” a recent NFL game taking place as if in Andy’s room from the iconic film franchise. Netherlands-based Beyond Sports also powers the Eredivisie app Gameface that enables fan interactivity: subbing cartoons for players, recreating the game on another planet or even superimposing their own face on an athlete. “At the end of the day, we have been preaching this for so long,” Schouten said. “This is really going to happen, and kids are really going to like this.” — J.L.
