True Surf: the mobile surfing game will decide the 2020 World Surf League champions

True Surf, the official mobile game of the World Surf League (WSL), will crown this year's champions.

Erik Logan, CEO of the WSL, made the unexpected announcement two weeks after the decision to postpone and cancel several events.

"The novel coronavirus Covid-19 changed the world we're living in, and we, surfers, will have to adapt to the new reality," Logan told SurferToday.com.

"The health of our athletes and staff always comes first, so this year, all scheduled events will be run online through True Surf."

The decision to crown this year's world champions via a series of digital surf contests has already been communicated to the 34 Championship Tour (CT) surfers and the hundreds of Qualifying Series (QS) campaigners.

"To be honest, we would love to be in the water, doing what we love. But we all ended up agreeing with Erik and his team. This is the wisest thing to do," added Kelly Slater.

"We really need to protect everyone involved. Self-isolation and quarantine are paramount, but the show must go on, and this is better than nothing."

WSL will use True Surf's 21 surf breaks to run all disciplines and crown world champions across all divisions: men's and women's shortboard, longboard, big wave, and junior.

"Our programmers are working fast to develop a new stage. The 2020 True Surf WSL season will feature an event at the Surf Ranch so that everyone enjoys a digital wave pool experience," underlines Erik Logan.

Surfers' Skills: Reality Goes Digital

We all know some surfers are better than others. And WSL is making sure True Surf will reflect the athletes' skills.

As a result, variables like age, years on tour, experience, world and event titles, psychological characteristics, stamina, wave reading skills, aerial and power surfing skills, tube riding prowess, and strategy come into play.

The organization will assign a series of parameters to each surfer before the start of the season.

"For example, Slater might be older than many of his opponents, but his experience and world titles will offset the loss of paddling power," notes the CEO of WSL.

Brazilian surfers are known for their superior air techniques but are probably more temperamental under pressure or when they don't feel they've been awarded a fair wave score.

The digital surfer's profile will reflect all that, and those variables will come into play during heats.

"We don't know when the Covid-19 pandemic will end. But we're 100 percent certain that will we conclude the Triple Crown of Surfing in digital mode," says Erik Logan.

WSL stresses that its competitive rule book will remain valid and untouched for all True Surf events.

Competitors will also be able to get back to the beach to replace broken boards and leashes, and even receive instructions from coaches, friends, or relatives that are watching from the beach.

True Surf features 22 surf breaks, real world physics simulation, realistic controls, real-time surf forecasting data, and a complete set of surfboards for all types of ocean conditions.

Will Kelly Slater be able to secure his 12th world title? Is Stephanie Gilmore ready to clinch her eighth trophy and set a new record?

Stay glued to your smartphone, desktop computer, or TV screen. WSL's official surfing game is about to revolutionize the sport forever.

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