Starting next year users of the game Farming Simulator will be able to milk their cows virtually with the Lely Astronaut milking robot and use Lely machines in the game.
Lely, the robotic milking systems specialists, has signed an agreement for with Giants Software, the company behind Farming Simulator, to feature in the game.
Lely now joins 40 other brands which feature in the game with their agricultural machinery and tractors.
The red Lely milking robot is a first and there will be several Lely machines available to players to harvest grass in Farming Simulator 17 including the Lely Splendimo 900 MC Mower, the Lely Lotus 1250 Profi Tedder, the Lely Hibiscus 1515 CD Profi Rake, and the Lely Tigo XR 75 Combi Loader wagon.
For milking, and taking care of the cows in the barn, the Lely Astronaut A4 Milking Robot and the Lely Luna cow brush will be added to the game, the company says.
Farming Simulator is a simulation game in which players run their own farm. Players start off with basic machines but money can be earned by running the farm well, for example by sowing and harvesting, and caring for and selling crops, it says.
The money earned can then be invested in new and bigger machines, Lely says.
It is also possible to run a dairy farm, for which cows have to be bought, fed and milked, it says. Barns also have to be mucked out too and the milk is automatically collected when the milk tank is full, it says.
According to Lely, Farming Simulator is the biggest and best-known simulation game in recent years and the current version has sold over 2m units.