ASICS, a global pioneer in sports innovation, is an acronym for Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, a Latin phrase that means “A sound mind in a sound body.” The company was founded in Kobe, Japan, in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka, who aimed to make athletic shoes to nurture healthy lives in young people through sports.
Last year, I was invited to work on a VR project featuring a collaboration between ASICS Ventures, Meta, and game studio m ss ng p eces. They wanted to create a new sport, rather than adapting a traditional sport into the virtual world, which greatly appealed to me. I was also impressed by their commitment to supporting overall health and wellness.
When I first began writing about VR games in 2017, my objective was to build positive communities and support developers creating accessible, inclusive games that encouraged overall wellness. People frequently comment on how those articles made a positive impact on them, and while I continue to do a lot of community work, it’s exciting to see that we’ve entered a new era where one of the world’s most influential sports brands recognizes the value of immersive sport.
Today ASICS announces the development of DISC, a virtual sport conceived and designed specifically for virtual reality!
Borderless Sports
As we’ve seen with VR esports over the past eight years, the world of traditional physical sports is becoming increasingly intertwined with digital advancements as people desire both physicality and technology. ASICS’ initiative will expand the boundaries of sport and inspire a new generation of athletes.
Drawing on decades of expertise in sports science and digital innovation, ASICS has designed the game to equally challenge players’ physical and strategic skills. DISC represents an expansion of ASICS digital services and serves as a seed that will hopefully grow towards a future where virtual sports hold a place of honor alongside traditional counterparts.
Ultimately, it would be fantastic to see games like DISC featured in the world’s foremost sports competition – the Olympic Games. In recent years, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has begun to recognize the growing interest in esports. In fact, they launched the Olympic Esports Series, holding an online competition in 2021, followed by an in-person event in Singapore in 2023.
Earlier this year, during the 142nd IOC Session at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the committee voted to rebrand the series as the Olympic Esports Games, with the inaugural competitions set to be held in 2025 in Saudi Arabia.
ASICS has embraced the phrase “borderless sports,” which is relevant and beautiful – not only from the perspective of supporting body and mind, but also because sports really can bring people together, cross borders, and change lives. Virtual reality enables people to play a physical sport with others around the world, and DISC is built on ASICS’ philosophy that everyone can benefit from the mental and physical stimulation of physical activity.
Community
DISC is designed to be accessible to players of all skill levels, and the community is being built from the ground up with inclusivity and engagement in mind.
“DISC is about uniting people through the power of sport and creating a global community where we can grow together. For thousands of years, sports have evolved to challenge both body and mind, bringing out the best in us,” said Joe Pace, Vice President at ASICS Ventures and DISC project lead. “Our goal is to collaborate with the Quest community to continue that evolution, shaping the future of sports and redefining what it means to play and compete together.”
We’ve seen the exponential growth of VR communities over the past several years, and this trend is expected to continue. While the developers continue to build the game, community development through engagement and feedback will take place on the official DISC Discord server, where we’ll gradually add online activities, early access, assets for creators, information about events, and more.
Athletes, enthusiasts, and innovators are encouraged to help shape the sport of DISC, and we warmly invite you to embark on this exciting journey with us!
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