Metaverse. Roblox. It's like the NFL is playing mad libs using only words aimed at Gen Z Zoomers.
The National Football League teamed up with popular online game Roblox (RBLX) to expand its presence in the metaverse and launched NFL Tycoon Wednesday, a game that allows players to build, play and learn an NFL-centered world based on Roblox's popular tycoon and simulator genres.
"We see Roblox as an extension of NFL's real-life engagement platforms for emerging social connectivity where fans can learn the game and business side of NFL football," said Joe Ruggiero, the NFL's senior vice president of consumer products.
"We are beyond thrilled to partner with Roblox as we journey deeper into the Metaverse and continue to learn the value of interactive shared experiences for the NFL."
NFL Tycoon Gameplay
Roblox has nearly 50 million daily active users that the NFL wants to tap into and potentially convert into future fans.
Today, players can become virtual owners of their own NFL franchise and develop custom stadiums and build rosters with fictional players by unboxing card packs.
Owners can also trade players with other users and compete in a game simulator that features a leaderboard for the best teams.
Robolox
NFL Tycoon will hose virtual live events and activations that coincide with the NFL calendar.
"We are excited to see sports and entertainment evolve to bring in fun, authentic and engaging experiences that push the boundaries of creativity and bring fans closer to some of the biggest moments in sports and culture," Christina Wootton, vice president of global brand partnerships at Roblox, said.
NFL Shoots For Younger Demographic
According to a 2017 study from Radio+Television Business Report, the median age of live NFL television viewer is at least 50 as streamed video consumption climbs among younger viewers.
Currently 67% of Roblox players are under the age of 16, according to a January study cited by Backlinko. Only 14% of users are over 25 years old and Roblox itself says that about 55% of its daily active users were under 13 years old as of 2020.
The video game has a pretty even gender split, with people identifying as male making up 51% of DAUs and people identifying as female making up 44%.
