NFL Rivals, the officially licensed mobile football game from Mythical Games, is gearing up for its second in-game season, titled “Year 2,” which launches on September 5, aligning with the start of the NFL season. This update is being touted as the “biggest upgrade” since the NFT marketplace was introduced last year.
During its first season, NFL Rivals garnered over 5 million downloads and logged more than 115 million games played. The upcoming “Year 2” update will introduce new game modes, distinctive pack drops, and enhanced ways for fans to engage with the sport.
Earlier this week, Mythical Games also announced a partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl champions, designating NFL Rivals as the team’s official mobile game. This collaboration will feature branding opportunities within Arrowhead Stadium and other promotional efforts.
John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games, emphasized the importance of player engagement in the game. “We have a slate of activations, in and out of the game, to deepen our player engagement with the NFL Rivals brand and football season,” Linden told Decrypt. He noted that the player community’s involvement is central to the game’s success.
NFL Rivals allows players to act as team general managers (GMs), strategize plays, and compete against NFL teams. While the game functions as a traditional free-to-play mobile game, it also incorporates optional NFT player cards. The in-game marketplace, introduced last August, has significantly enhanced the game’s dynamics by allowing players to trade these digital collectibles.
Linden believes that the addition of a new player-vs-player (PvP) mode will be the most significant upgrade since the marketplace’s debut, offering players an even more immersive experience. “The upcoming and highly anticipated PvP mode should be the biggest upgrade to NFL Rivals since the marketplace went live, and it’s the one we know our players are most excited about,” he added.
Approximately 20% of players have upgraded their game-supplied wallets to Web3 wallets to interact with NFTs, which are minted on the Mythos Chain, built on Polkadot. Daily transactions on the secondary marketplace have surged from a few hundred last year to over 8,000 per day ahead of the Year 2 launch, further highlighting the game’s growing popularity.
Linden expressed optimism about the future of NFL Rivals and the broader Web3 gaming industry, stating that these developments point to a “very bright future” for both.
