The National Football League (NFL) in collaboration with Skillz (NYSE: SKLZ), the leading mobile games platform bringing fair competition to players worldwide, announced on Wednesday, April 28, that the NFL & Skillz Game Developer Challenge is now live and accepting proposals from the developer community.
“From the moment we announced the collaboration with the NFL, the Skillz gaming community has been buzzing with excitement over this ultimate football competition,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz.
“Developers rarely have the opportunity to capture the attention of the NFL and football fans everywhere in this way, so we can’t wait to see which games score the big win!”
Through this first-of-its-kind collaboration, competing developers have the opportunity to create innovative NFL-inspired and branded mobile games, excluding 11 vs 11 simulation, powered by the Skillz esports platform.
As part of the multi-year agreement announced in February, the challenge is open to all interested game developers, from indie developers to established studios.
Participating developers must submit their game concept proposal by May 31, 2021; a panel of NFL and Skillz judges will review all submissions and select those that will proceed to the development stage.
Ultimately, finalists will present their creations to the judges to win the coveted rights to brand their game with the NFL and club logos. The NFL and Skillz will launch and provide cross-platform promotion of the winning games to coincide with the start of the 2022 NFL season.
“This challenge combines the power of the Skillz platform and the NFL brand to reimagine football for mobile esports,” said Rachel Hoagland, VP of Gaming and Partnerships at the NFL. “For developers, this is an incredible opportunity to exercise their creativity and, for our fans, it’s an exciting new way for them to experience NFL gaming in the palm of their hands.”
The NFL & Skillz Game Developer Challenge will span the 2021 NFL season; interested participants can learn more about the challenge by visiting [skillz.com/nflchallenge].
The story was released in New York and San Francisco last week.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
