The National Football League has announced a partnership with Mythical Games to create what is believed to be the first officially licensed blockchain video game. NFL Rivals lets players become a general manager with the aim of assembling a winning team and competing against other GMs.
NFL Rivals is a blockchain game that uses NFTs. Players can collect and trade NFTs for NFL players, though a list of players was not announced. The game will be released on the Mythical Platform in early 2023.
NFL consumer products boss Joe Ruggiero said in a statement, “The interest in NFTs and video gaming amongst current and prospective fans continues to grow and combined have accelerated the NFL’s exploration of new gaming models that can deliver an unmatched experience to fans.”
Before the game releases in 2023, Mythical and the NFL will launch 32 “unique generative 3D NFL franchise-themed NFTs” for the league’s 32 teams. “This officially licensed collection will provide owners access to special events, in-game rewards, and other unique features,” the studio said.
Mythical Games is a blockchain technology company best known for the game Blankos Block Party, which lets players unlock new characters via gameplay or by spending money, including with cryptocurrency. Each character in the game is an NFT that can be bought and sold through Mythical’s marketplace.
If NFL Rivals doesn’t sound interesting to you, EA Sports will release the next Madden game later this year, while 2K Sports is making an arcade NFL game as well.
