The National Football League (NFL) has partnered newly-listed mobile gaming platform Skillz for a competition to select a new developer to build a new branded game for the league.
This will see competing developers build a NFL-themed mobile title on the Skillz esports platform, with the winning product to be marketed by the partners.
This, Skillz said, would enable the NFL to reach a new generation of fans, by providing a product that helps converge traditional and online sports, as well as bringing “hundreds of millions” of supporters to its esports platform.
“The NFL is an iconic brand that is synonymous with American sports, and Skillz is thrilled to help power their esports competitions on mobile,” Skillz founder and chief executive Andrew Paradise said.
The NFL’s vice president of gaming and esports Rachel Hoagland added that mobile gaming was an important channel for engaging new and existing fans.
“Our agreement with Skillz provides access to a trusted platform and a highly engaged player base, making Skillz an ideal partner long term,” she said.
The developer challenge is to launch in the second quarter of the year, and will be open to all genres, aside from 11 v 11 simulated games.
Skillz announced plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange in September last year, though a combination with special purpose acquisition company Flying Eagle Acquisition Corp. The business then made its trading debut in December 2020.