The New York Jets today have launched Ultimate Fan, the first social sports game that is all about the fans, on Facebook.
Ultimate Fan, spearheaded by the Jets and developed in conjunction with game developer Arkadium is not a football simulator or a fantasy league game. At its core, Ultimate Fan lets fans be fans by doing online what they would normally do at home and in stadiums. From rooting for their favorite team to predicting game scores to holding a virtual tailgate with fans all over the country, there is a component of the game for everyone, no matter which team people are cheering on.
"The Jets have embraced digital marketing on a number of levels," said Matt Higgins, the Jets' executive vice president of business operations. "We've tweeted our draft picks as they were officially announced at Radio City and created a viral video-based sweepstakes in which one fan got the chance to lead the team out of the tunnel at a game last season. This application is yet another aggressive move into building out the digital side of our brand.
With more than 500 million people on Facebook, Ultimate Fan makes it easy for both fanatic and casual football fans to get in on the action and go head-to-head against fans of rival teams without having to wait for gameday.
"As big brands continue to move onto Facebook, we are thrilled to be working with the New York Jets, one of the most forward-thinking professional sports teams in the world," said Jessica Rovello, president of Arkadium. "Together we have created what we believe will be the perfect social complement to this year's football season."
Ultimate Fan is the first revenue-generating Facebook application to be backed by any pro sports team.
About Arkadium
Arkadium is the largest provider of casual game solutions for some of the biggest brands in the world. The company's extensive library of popular games can be found on Facebook, iPhone, Android and premium Websites by clients such as MSN, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, ESPN, ABC, Lifetime, and Discovery. Family-owned and -operated, the company has grown organically since 2001 without funding to more than 100 employees in offices in New York City and Ukraine. With over 6 million unique users a month playing Arkadium game titles, the company is pioneering the movement to bring the best of casual online games to social. Their hit game, Mahjongg Dimensions, is one of their most popular titles on Facebook.
