NFL Announces Blockchain Game With Play-To-Own NFTs: Here Are The Details

The National Football League is one of the first professional sports leagues to announce a blockchain game. Here are the details and timeline for the upcoming game.

What Happened: The NFL and NFL Players Association are partnering with Mythical Games to launch “NFL Rivals.” The blockchain game is set to launch in early 2023 for both web and mobile.

A limited-edition drop of NFTs based on the 32 NFL teams will be released in summer 2022 in drops called “Rarity League.” These licensed NFL NFTs will give access to special events and provide in-game rewards for “NFL Rivals.”

“Fans will also be able to own, collect and trade NFTs of their favorite players through this play-and-own game experience,” the company said.

A player of the game will act as a general manager of a football team and compete against other players/general managers while attempting to assemble the best roster.

“With the rise of blockchain technology, we are thrilled to partner with Mythical Games on a blockchain-enabled game that delivers new play-to-own NFT capabilities, creating a new adventure for fans who love to play football games,” NFL Senior Vice President of Consumer Products Joe Ruggiero said.

Related Link: NFL Virtual Reality Game Is Coming To Meta Quest, Playstation VR: Can It Take On The Madden Franchise? 

Why It’s Important: Sports video games have been among the bestsellers in the sector year after year. The Madden NFL game franchise from Electronic Arts Inc. EA is among the bestselling video game franchises of all time.

The addition of a blockchain game follows the NFL exploring new growth spaces in the video game sector. The company announced earlier this year it was bringing virtual reality games to the Meta Quest and Playstation VR from Meta Platforms Inc FB and Sony Group Corp SONY, respectively.

The NFL also recently partnered with NBA Top Shot parent Dapper Labs to bring NFL moments as NFTs to fans and investors. The Dapper deal and Mythical Games partnership could signal the NFL’s desire to continue to grow in the blockchain and NFT space.

The partnership could also help bring fans of NFTs and video games to the NFL.

“Partnering with the NFL to drive new fan and player engagement through fresh game design and the benefits of Web3 is an exciting moment for us,” Mythical Games Chief Creative Officer Jamie Jackson said.

Jackson said the game could help provide new ways for fans to engage with their favorite players and teams.

Mythical Games is led by industry veterans who have worked on franchises that include “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft,” “Guitar Hero,” “DJ Hero” and “Skylanders.”