Skillz, one of the biggest mobile games platforms in the world, will partner with the NFL on a new deal that will work to develop new football fans through mobile devices and the growing popularity of eSports.
Big news – we're teaming up with the @NFL! 🏈 Our multi-year agreement sets the stage for the future of esports competition, with developers competing to create NFL-themed mobile games! Learn more here: https://t.co/yVoVH7ruxl
— Skillz (@skillz) February 4, 2021
The two companies will partner to put on a global game developer challenge that will launch this spring and be open to “all genres except for 11 v 11 simulated games,” a la Madden. The NFL’s longtime collaboration with EA Sports on the console game has generated extreme popularity among gamers and sports fans alike, but fans, especially those who play games on mobile devices, will get a new way to interact with football through Skillz.
“The NFL is an iconic brand that is synonymous with American sports, and Skillz is thrilled to help power their esports competitions on mobile,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz, in a statement.
The announcement comes just more than a month after Skillz’s IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, at which point the company received nearly $1 billion in funding. From the NFL side, striking a deal with such a large gaming company allows the league to find younger fans and those who may not come to the game from a traditional perspective, plus it allows gamers the opportunity to play a football game that is outside of the Madden universe.