STACK #247 May 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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The first AFL video game, Aussie Rules Footy , was released on the NES back in 1992. DYK?

done afresh for AFL 26 ? Does it go beyond looks to individual celebrations and such? We’ve been to every ground with 3D scanners and drones, visited every club for photos, and scanned every player across both AFL and AFLW. It’s been a massive, months-long effort - often requiring return trips to catch players coming back from rehab and training interruptions. Many players have been re-scanned and refreshed, with signature moves added and magic moments recreated. Have you changed up either the player or coach career modes? If so, how? We’ve added a brand-new single player Career Mode in AFL 26 , letting you live out the journey from draft day to footy stardom. On top of that, we’ve expanded the Management Career mode to give you way more control over the ins and outs of running a club. Where’s the ProTeam mode at in AFL 26 ? Is there anything cool and new to report? AFL 26 Pro Team hits the ground running day one, and we’ll be expanding it all season long - adding fresh features, building on what worked last time, and loading it up with a heap of legendary players.

The 2025 AFL season is in full swing, so it’s the perfect time for AFL 26 to release, bringing all the action home for us to get interactive with.We had a chat with developer Big Ant’s head honcho Ross Symons to get the inside word on what’s new. Words Amy Flower DON’T ARGUE, FOOTY’S BACK!

Who have you brought in as commentators for this year’s model? Are there any new presentation upgrades?

We were really happy with what the commentary team brought to AFL 23 , so we’ve invited them all - Anthony Hudson, Jason Bennett, Kelli Underwood, Garry Lyon, and

You had a good, solid framework to build upon with AFL 23 . With the big work out of the way, what opportunities have you taken to polish the game for AFL 26 ? All through the development of AFL 26 we placed a strong focus on enhancing gameplay, refining the bump system, improving marking, reworking jostling, and revisiting speccies to make them much more rewarding and satisfying.

Daniel Harford - back for AFL 26 . They’ve spent plenty of time in t h e studio again, adding even more to an already solid foundation. Ultimately, which new feature or features in AFL 26 are you most pumped about fans getting into? Out of everything, the previously mentioned single player Career Mode is the one feature I can’t wait for people to dive into. I reckon it’s going to be a fan favourite - something you can lose yourself in for hundreds (or maybe even thousands!) of hours.

• AFL 26 is out May 8

AFL is a complicated sport, meaning challenges when making it into a playable video game.What would you say has been the biggest hurdle to overcome to keep a balance of faithfulness and playability? We face the same challenges AFL broadcasters do - camera systems are one of the biggest hurdles. With the game’s fast movement and constant potential for turnovers, it’s tough to keep everything in frame, especially without an offside rule to compress the action. The team spent a lot of time ensuring as many camera options are available as possible to enable individual preference. How do you keep track of the myriad rule changes and umpiring interpretations (which can vary from week to week)? Our data team watches every single game, just to make sure we’re right on top of every bad

call, no matter how controversial - and don’t worry, we’re pretty sure the umpires hate all the teams equally! To what extent is there the ability to “pick up and play” for those who may be into AFL but not video games? AFL 26 has an interactive tutorial system that walks you through all the

KMAC ATTACK! At STACK we ask the big questions, and, with many Richmond Tigers fans

key parts of the game. It’s a great way to learn the ropes or sharpen your skills before hitting the field for real. With every AFL and AFLW player included in-game, what sort of work goes into organising their scans? Do you scan every player? Have ones who were around for AFL 23 all been

amongst us, we just had to ask Ross whether Kamdyn McIntosh’s new signature home and away headbands would feature in AFL 26 … “Yes, just for STACK - and of course the army of Tigers fans out there - Kamdyn McIntosh’s iconic headband is making its way into the game!”

10 MAY 2025

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