Big Ant Studios has today announced AO International Tennis for release on May 8, 2018. Featuring world #1 Rafael Nadal, AO International Tennis offers the most comprehensive feature set of any tennis game ever made, giving players unprecedented control over how they play their favorite sport.
Additionally, AO International Tennis will be the first game to be enhanced with PlayFace, Big Ant’s in-depth character creator software that gives users the ability to create photorealistic likenesses in-game.
“Tennis fans are passionate about their sport and made it clear what they wanted to see in a tennis game,” said Big Ant CEO Ross Symons. “Building on our previous titles, we’ve made adjustments and significant additions to meet those expectations. We’re incredibly committed to the sport of tennis and proud of the results. We believe that what players will see and do in AO International Tennis will impress even the most diehard fan.”
“Each year, the eyes of the world turn to Melbourne Park for the Australian Open for the start of the tennis calendar, and 2018 was no different,” said Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley. “We’re excited to be able to give fans from around the world the chance to experience the Australian Open from their own homes with AO International Tennis.”
AO International Tennis’ key feature set is outlined below:
PlayFace™
Big Ant has always been known for its comprehensive player creator options, but PlayFace takes things to the next level. Through this PC-based companion app, users will be able to take real-world photography of themselves or their friends, and then integrate the faces from those photos onto character models, effectively meaning that through AO International Tennis, a user can put their photorealistic likeness directly into the game. These creations can then be uploaded to the Big Ant servers and downloaded with full cross-platform support to the PlayStation4 or Xbox One versions of AO International Tennis.
This app is completely free to use and is available now from www.bigant.com/AOTool, meaning that fans can get themselves on the servers and ready for download from day one.
Play Around The World
Play glamorous and prestigious tournaments all over the world on all court surfaces. Take the title in singles, doubles or mixed doubles. Select your favorite player – or play as yourself through an entire career, all the way to #1 and the biggest championships of them all.
Play On Hard, Grass Or Clay Courts
Play on your surface of choice; each has a distinct play style and presents different challenges. Master the techniques required for each, and adjust your approach to truly excel.
Customize Matches!
Play an epic 5-set Grand Slam final, or play with one of the more experimental formats, like Fast Four, for a quicker tennis game. Or design your own! AO International Tennis is all about customization, allowing you to play your game your way.
Venue Creator – Design Your Own Championships
Enhance any mode with custom stadiums created in a unique venue by either yourself or others in the community. From your local courts to a renowned international stadium, the editor allows you to tailor countless elements and share your creations online.
Don’t stop at a single court, either; create an entire venue with multiple courts. Customize the main, outside and show courts, and create your dream park for hosting a tennis championship.
Licensed To Offer A Depth Of Tennis Experiences
AO International Tennis includes plenty of fully licensed players, including Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber. Tennis isn’t just about the superstars; you’ll be able to take on some of the future heroes of the sport, such as Hyeon Chung, Naomi Osaka and many more, and follow their heroics through the very biggest tournaments.
Career Mode – Play Hard And Reach The Coveted #1 Ranking
Start out as a star, or work your way from the bottom, climbing through the rankings all the way to #1 in the world. There are hundreds of tournaments that occur every year – are you able to replicate the success of one of the great tennis champions to select the right tournaments to play in, and then perform well enough at those tournaments to get the ranking points you need to get into that top 100, then top 50, top 10, and finally #1, playing against the world’s best?
Logo And Clothing Creators – Look Great As You Play
Comprehensive clothing and logo creators allow you to be “sponsored” by your workplace or favorite company. Replicate any kind of tennis fashion that you might have seen right into the game. Download and share your favorite creations through the community, which is continuously growing with player-generated content.
Prove You’re The Best In The World
Challenge the world and become the world champion from the comfort of your living room. Full online leaderboards track your progress and win/loss records for extra bragging rights.
Learn The Ropes As You Play
AO International Tennis is a serious simulation of the sport, so we’ve included a tutorial to get you into the game and hitting winners off both sides of the court quickly and easily.
“The enhancements that we’re bringing to AO International Tennis offer a deeper, richer and more varied experience,” Symons said. “The refinement, polish and enhanced feature sets that we’ve been able to bring to tennis will really give fans the ability to play their sport their way.”
AO International Tennis launches on May 8, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Purchasers of the original AO Tennis will be able to upgrade to this new edition for free via a patch on the same day.