NFL Continues Push Into The Metaverse With NFL Zone
The National Football League unveiled the multifaceted metaverse experience.
Companies across several industries are adopting metaverse technology to drive marketing campaigns and engage better with their audiences, and the sports industry is not left out. On the 1st of December, the National Football League announced the launch of NFL Zone, a unique, engaging, and immersive multifaceted metaverse experience. NFL Zone, built in Fortnite Creative, was designed to capture the attention of existing football fans in the United States and spread a wider net for the sport by leveraging the Fortnite community.
Together with Visa, its Official Payment Services Technology Partner, the NFL looks to create a social hub inspired by the sport that will appeal to NFL football enthusiasts and Fortnite players alike. With NFL Zone, the National Football League will emphasize its commitment to leveraging the metaverse to provide creative and unique fan experiences.
Fans that enter into NFL Zone will find The Hub, a unique fan experience consisting of a virtual tailgate, portals to maps inspired by NFL teams, and a Visa-sponsored mini-game and stadium. Also, in The Hub, fans will be able to enjoy the Seek and Sack game, and Visacs mini-game, Blitz the Bag, will feature a tag-style gameplay where players will compete to be the first to pick up a bag and carry it to any NFL store within the stadium without dropping it. The San Francisco 49ers will be the first team to inspire a map, with their slot fixed for December 1st. Editions featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants will follow subsequently.
According to the NFL’s VP of Video Gaming, Ed Kiang, bringing NFL Zone to Fortnite was a no-brainer as the platform had quickly become one of the go-to destinations for audiences attracted to immersive virtual experiences. With diverse and robust content in the Metaverse, the NFL looks to build off-field generational fandom and help audiences connect better with the sport.
Mary Ann Reilly, CMO North America, Visa, expressed delight in the company’s long-standing partnership with the NFL and how it hopes to be a part of the virtual move and expand further into the virtual economy. NFL Zone will also partner with sport content creators across social media networks like Twitch and Instagram to boost awareness and promote the metaverse experience.
Users will have the chance to play against their favourite content creators, with the decade-old NFC vs. AFC rivalry finding its way into the Metaverse as well. Content creators will see their wins tracked on a leader board in NFL Zone, with the championship crown awarded to the division that racks up the most points after the championship playoffs.
Speaking to journalists, the VP, Metaverse Development for Epic Games, Matthew Henick, praised NFL Zone as one of the fantastic metaverse experiences available to millions of players in Fortnite. According to Matthew, the NFL leveraged Fortnite’s open-source Creative toolset to build a social and immersive virtual experience which will evolve throughout the football season and beyond. The NFL also partnered with SuperAwesome, a safe digital engagement provider, to bring NFL Zone to life.
