Sydney, Australia – Video game company Epic Games has announced that three of Australia’s known football leagues have teamed with the company in bringing the sport to life in the battle royale game ‘Fortnite’, alongside other 20 football teams around the world.
Melbourne City FC, Sydney FC, and Western Sydney Wanderers are the three Australian-based football teams participating in this endeavor, united under the A-League.
The partnership will see an upcoming feature on Fortnite, where players can choose from 10 different variants of new ‘Kickoff Set’ outfits to represent their favorite club in-game. The newest addition to the game include outfits based on the participating 23 global football teams, and game emotes, including a ‘Fancy Footwork’ dribbling emote and the iconic ‘Pel’és Air Punch’ based off the Brazilian footballer Pelé.
“The partnership between the A-League and Epic Games is an incredible opportunity to promote our clubs and League to millions of Fortnite players in Australia and around the world. It will put the A-League alongside some of the biggest international clubs such as Man City in the English Premier League, Santos in the Brasileirão and the MLS’ Seattle Sounders,” said Danny Townsend, commercial lead for the Australian Professional Leagues and CEO of Sydney FC.
He added, “There is a significant demographic overlap between the youth audience who love football and those who play Fortnite – this partnership takes us to where our fans are and create new opportunities to engage with the global game.”
Players can now join also in the upcoming Pelé Cup in Fortnite, where players can earn rewards, visit the Creative Hub for an immersive football experience throughout the week, and join select clubs around the world in hosted Fortnite tournaments.
“Football is consistently one of the top sports that our players tell us they want to see and experience in Fortnite. We’re excited to partner with Melbourne City FC, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers to bring ‘the beautiful game ’to Fortnite fans around the world as they face off in competitive tournaments, experience new creative modes of gameplay, and celebrate global football,” the head of global partnerships at Epic Games Nate Nanzer said.
The feature will be available on Sunday, January 24 as the A-League will also host its own Fortnite tournament on January 27 with a mix of A-League players, fans, and Fortnite creators battling for exclusive Fortnite and A-League prize packs.