An Orlando game-development studio
Game development studio Third Time to produce images for last leg of Triple Crown
is producing content for NBC’s broadcast of the Belmont Stakes.
If you plan to watch coverage leading up to the Belmont Stakes next month, be ready to see some content produced in Orlando.
The game development studio Third Time will take predictions made by NBC show hosts and create a visualization of how the 1.5-mile race will play out.
Post time for the race is about 6:45 p.m. June 10 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
Third Time has been around for about a year and was started by former employees of Zynga and Electronic Arts.
It’s a path recently duplicated by former Electronic Arts employees who launched HypSports, a platform for fantasy sports players which recently added professional video gamers.
For Third Time, the deal will put its name on a national stage for a second time.
The company, which is a small, three-person studio that also employs two contractors, previously provided a simulation for NBC’s coverage of the Preakness Stakes on May 20.
The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and Belmont make up the sport’s Triple Crown of races.
NBC analysts will predict where each horse will be at certain points of the race.
Using that data, Third Time creates a visualization, which will run in the pre-race show as the analysts share their commentary.
Third Time will use the software behind its game Photo Finish Horse Racing, a simulator that has been downloaded more than 4.5 million times worldwide.
The company has made more than $2.5 million on the game, through in-app purchases.
CEO Ian Cummings says details of the arrangement are still being worked out.
He has worked at Zynga, FanDuel and Electronic Arts, where he served as creative director on the popular John Madden football franchise for a time.
For Third Time, the deal will put its name on a national stage for a second time. The small, three-person studio, which also employs two contractors, previously provided a simulation for NBC’s coverage of the Preakness Stakes on May 20.