The New York Jets have partnered with online games developer Arkadium Inc. to create NY Jets Ultimate Fan, a Facebook application that incorporates many elements of social and casual games such as Farmville and Mafia Wars.
For the Jets, the game aims to build on a vibrant social media following that includes more than 177,000 fans of the Jets’ official Facebook page and 33,000 followers of the team’s Twitter feed. Club executives sought to take further steps into the social media landscape.
Fans can predict game winners, earn points.
“There were a couple of big things at play,” said Matt Higgins, Jets executive vice president of business operations. “How do we keep pushing and stay out in front of the curve, and how do we monetize social media? We were inspired by what we saw with Farmville and other games like that, so this is our attempt toward playing in that space. We think there’s a big opportunity not only in terms of fan engagement, but also creating another avenue to involve our [corporate] sponsors.”
The application is accessible via the Jets’ Facebook page. It includes a game where fans can build a virtual tailgate party. There also is a game prediction area where fans can pick NFL game winners and project players’ statistical performances, boast about their success, and earn virtual fan points. Graphically, the game is unlike many other Facebook applications and borrows more from television production elements.
The application is free, but much like Farmville and other similar games, there is a virtual goods component where users can buy elements that let them progress more rapidly through the games. The application also employs Facebook’s universal virtual currency, Facebook Credits.
There have been discussions between the Jets and Arkadium about connecting the virtual goods store of NY Jets Ultimate Fan with the club’s online store.
“For us, this is all about letting the fans be fans and empowering them to do online anything they would do offline,” said Jessica Rovello, co-founder of New York-based Arkadium. “We also wanted to be really unique and not have this be a traditional social media play, a fantasy play or a ‘Madden’-type [video game] play.”
