Street Rugby Sean O'BrienSean O’Brien may not be fit to face Ulster in the RaboDirectPro12 Final but he will be tearing up the streets of Dublin thanks to his starring role in a new mobile video game called Street Rugby.
The game is billed as featuring the Tullow tank as O’Brien is known and has been developed in Dublin by iMobile who have previously developed apps and mobile content for the IRFU and Leinster in rugby, and for Graeme McDowell and Retief Goosen in golf.
The game will be free to download through Facebook and on iphone and android devices and the revenue model is based on in game purchases, as is the case with many other leading games.
It is hoped that O’Brien’s international exposure through the British and Irish Lions Tour will lead to a spike in activity over the coming weeks.
The game features the player, kitted out in the maroon and white hoops of his local club Tullow RFC as he starts out at the Spire on O’Connell Street and jumps over taxis, roadworks and the occasional passer by as he tries to navigate across the Liffey, around the IFSC and Grafton Street on his way towards the Aviva Stadium.
Sport is a major driver of the online gaming sector that is worth tens of billions each year.  EA Sports is a global leader with a base in Ireland and sponsorship of Irish soccer through the EA Sports Cup.
Rugby has also proven a winner in the Irish mobile market with the Brian O’Driscoll fronted Ultimate Rugby App appearing at the top of the Irish download charts within weeks of its release.
Digital engagement with fans is a key target for every sport here and abroad, as well as a major revenue earner for governing bodies and attractive element for sponsors.  The fact that Dublin and Irish stars are featuring in a game wholly developed here is good for Irish sport and a great calling card for the developing Irish digital sector.
A report earlier this week from Zenith Optimedia highlighted that Ireland was likely to climb into the top three countries of the world for digital adoption by 2015 with penetration rates of tablet devices soaring as high as 50%.
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