UEFA - THE ULTIMATE KNOCKOUT
TYPE & TECH Gamified Sports Metaverse
CLIENT UEFA Champions League
UEFA Enters the Digital Arena
The UEFA Champions League, in collaboration with Wasserman, has initiated an exciting three-season partnership, teaming up with Solarflare Studio to develop an immersive virtual experience for fans. UEFA has ventured into the digital arena, highlighting the UEFA Ecosystem through a personalised virtual world, bespoke Ready Player Me avatars, and engaging global gameplay.
“Utilising the latest in web technology, our team at Solarflare engineered an experience that sets a new benchmark for browser-based content. In our collaboration with the strategic prowess of Wasserman and the football excellence of UEFA, we’ve seamlessly merged cutting-edge tech with deep-rooted passion.”
– John Martinelli
Head of Production, Solarflare Studio
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A Global Digital Fan Experience
On a global scale, this digital fan experience aims to bridge the gap between digital innovation and sports entertainment. As anticipation built for the Champions League Final, we launched The Ultimate Knockout in September 2023. In line with UEFAs Group Stage Matches, every two weeks until December, fans had the chance to win tickets to the 2024 Champions League Final.
Through captivating storytelling, design and inclusive fan engagement our challenge was to create high-quality virtual environments that do justice to the mass popularity of UEFA. The web-based platform is easily accessible via any device, seamlessly accommodates high user numbers and allows real-time updates that keeps fans coming back for more.
The Ultimate Knockout currently consists of two main areas, “The Locker Room” and “The Ultimate Knockout Quiz.”
The Locker Room
Serving as the central hub, The Locker Room allows fans to create an avatar, design their personalised changing room and prepare for The Ultimate Knockout competitions. Seamlessly returning and updating their personal space and avatar whenever they wish, The Locker Room presents the opportunity to explore more of the experience through portals, keep up-to-date via virtual screen, earn themselves a spot on the leaderboard and create shareable memorabilia. Within the space, fans can see their avatar come to life on ‘The Ultimate Stage’ by creating their very own shareable UEFA Moment video.
The Ultimate Knockout Quiz
The Ultimate Knockout Quiz area hosts the competitions, accessed via the Locker Room, users are invited to jump in the world and globally compete across 7 dates prior to each live Group Stage Match. Testing their football knowledge, the Quiz Master Patrice Evra is brought to life as a giant avatar, asking unique questions and engaging users in the competition. With 10 seconds to move their avatars to the correct answer area on a football pitch, users strive to make the leaderboard. The top-scoring fans have the chance to win tickets to the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, whilst fans who enter any of The Ultimate Knockout events can win signed memorabilia.
Forging a New Frontier in Fan Engagement
Crafted to build a strong sense of community among fans and deliver a deeper engagement with the UEFA Ecosystem, our partnership with UEFA and Wasserman has imagined a groundbreaking virtual experience that not only entertains and educates fans but also forges a new frontier in fan engagement within the sporting world via competitions, personalisation and global interaction. With more than 30,000 fans participating in the competition for the Ultimate Champion title, make sure to stay tuned for upcoming UEFA events!
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