‘FIFA 21’ Revives Soccer Star Kiyan Prince, Killed 15 Years Ago, Using 3D Scans
Image via EA Sports
FIFA 21 players will now have access to a new star, Kiyan Prince. In the game, Prince is 30 years old and at the top of his career, offering some of the best skill ratings available.
Unfortunately, in reality, Prince passed away 15 years ago. He was stabbed on May 18, 2006, while trying to stop a fight outside his school.
Prince’s father, Mark, founded the Kiyan Prince Foundation (KPF) after his son’s death. He has helped to campaign against knife crime in the UK, hoping to instill educational support systems to prevent such incidents from happening again.
As part of the foundation’s Long Live the Prince initiative, KPF and EA Sports, the creators of FIFA 21, are bringing his story to millions worldwide by making him a player in the world’s most popular soccer game.
The game was something Prince would’ve inevitably made it into, which he apparently often joked about with friends. Prince was one of the most promising soccer prospects in the UK at the time of his passing.
Players will be able to select Prince for their teams in career or ‘Ultimate Team’ mode in FIFA 21, or play him as a member of his childhood club, Queens Park Rangers, which has named its London stadium after the foundation. KPF’s services and contact information will also be available for players to access in-game.
“The idea is to create this moment to inspire FIFA 21 players to look up who Kiyan was and learn more about his story. That then spreads the net wide for people who can come to Mark and the foundation for help and inspiration,” said Billy Faithfull, CCO at advertising group Engine UK, in a statement obtained by Fast Company.
According to the news outlet, in order to create a virtual version of Prince that looked realistic, the designers used 3D scans of his father, siblings, and grandfather, along with past photographs. They also sought the help of Professor Hassan Ugail at the University of Bradford, who does forensic aging for missing-person cases.
Prince’s father said bringing his son back to life virtually was an emotional experience.
“It’s been a difficult process, but I knew the minute it was posed to me that this was a part of the journey I was supposed to be taking,” he said.
Image via EA Sports
[via Fast Company, images via EA Sports]
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