NZ Paralympian Holly Robinson will feature in the first official Paralympics video game ‘The Pegasus Dream Tour’. Today – 100 days out from the Paralympics – the pre-registration system is launching, with those interested being able to apply already through Pegasus official website https://pegasus-dream.com/.
‘The Pegasus Dream Tour’ will be available worldwide on smartphone devices on 24 June 2021 in the build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, as part of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)’s efforts to further promote Para sports across new young audiences.
Developed by JP Games, a studio founded by renowned Japanese game director Hajime Tabata, ‘The Pegasus Dream Tour’ is an avatar role-playing game (Massive Avatar RPG) which places players into a virtual Paralympic Games held in a fantasy, futuristic, inclusive and diverse metropolis known as Pegasus City.
The game generates an advanced avatar named ‘Mine’, which pursues its dreams of becoming a Para athlete and is created based on the player’s own face through a photo taken with their smartphones. Mine can forge new relationships with other avatars by freely roaming the city and participating in different competitions.
Holly Robinson said: “It is such a privilege to be part of the world’s first-ever Paralympics video game alongside 8 incredible Paralympians. Bringing people together virtually from across the world and enabling them to enjoy the Paralympic Games is really innovative.”
Fiona Allan (Chief Executive, Paralympics New Zealand) said: “We are extremely excited about The Pegasus Dream Tour launch on 24 June as it will help the Paralympic Movement connect and build engagement with new and younger audiences, as well further increase Para sport awareness ahead of Tokyo 2020.”
Players can participate in boccia, football 5-a-side, athletics and wheelchair basketball online tournaments and interact with other players as they take part in this immersive Paralympic experience not only as spectators, but as actual participants.
‘The Pegasus Dream Tour’ aims to enable people to enjoy the Paralympics in an innovative way by gathering in Pegasus City, have fun and interact with their friends even if they cannot do it physically due the current difficult circumstances.
It will be available in five languages: Japanese, English, French, German and Spanish.
In addition, to our very own Holly Robinson, eight of the world’s best Para athletes will show up in the game such as Takaki Hirose (Boccia, Japan), Patrick Anderson (Wheelchair basketball, Canada), Silvio Velo (Football 5-a-side, Argentina), Aimi Tanaka (Wheelchair tennis, Japan), Kohei Kobayashi (Para badminton, Japan), Rie Ogura (Para badminton, Japan), Scout Bassett (Para athletics, USA) and Chaiwat Rattana (Para athletics, Thailand).
