There will come a day, possibly not far in the future, when sports and entertainment in online virtual worlds will become as widespread as sports and entertainment in the real, physical world. A proliferation of digital technology – through streaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, online virtual worlds and NFTs – is revolutionising the way we design, stage and consume our favourite live sports, music, entertainment and public events. Here, at Populous, our digital designers are spearheading that revolution. In fact, we recently appointed Jonathan Nelson as our global head of digital in order to oversee this domain.

Turn to page 20 and, thanks to insight from some of our experts in digital design, you’ll discover what to expect. Will major sports clubs build virtual stadia online? Are avatar pop stars really as exciting as real ones? How will virtual and augmented reality improve the live experience at home? Will NFTs live up to the hype? And what can we expect from the wonderful world of esports? Our article analyses how the digital revolution might change the way athletes, artists, fans, attendees, broadcasters and venues all work and play – in both bricks-and-mortar venues and virtual venues.

In this digital-themed issue, we also explore how the fashion world is embracing virtual clothing and accessories for online digital avatars. We examine the way computerised ball and athlete tracking is improving sports officiating. And we meet the German player who competes at the top level in both esports soccer and physical soccer.

But just in case you thought we’d forgotten about real-life physical sport and entertainment, we also bring you articles on baseball, golf, basketball, skiing, tennis, Filipino pop music and the racket sport padel.

Whether you’re reading digitally, or on hard-copy paper, please enjoy.