Bit Fry Game Studios has announced its agreement with OneTeam Partners and the NFL Players Association to add an officially-licensed football game to the studios’ expanding line-up of sports video games. 

“Bit Fry’s games continue to impress, providing opportunities for fans to create virtual team mashups while including the likes of Alex Morgan, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Trout and Skylar Diggins-Smith,” says Steve Scebelo, interim president, NFL Players Inc., the marketing and licensing arm of the NFLPA. “As we look for new ways to connect with sports gamers, especially in today’s climate, this is an exciting development for fans and the future of gaming.”

Already incorporating select NFL players into its existing arcade action NHL-licensed hockey game “Ultimate Rivals: The Rink” and its upcoming NBA-licensed basketball game “Ultimate Rivals: The Court,” with the NFLPA license, Bit Fry will now flip the script and enable users to play on the virtual gridiron with superstar athletes from across hockey, basketball, baseball and soccer alongside a select roster of current NFL players.

“Bit Fry is the leading studio in the arcade-action sports segment and is thrilled to be bringing the NFL players into the Ultimate Rivals universe with another play-book shredding, category defining title that gives football a video-game treatment unlike any seen before it,” adds Ben Freidlin, chief executive officer and founder, Bit Fry Studios and creator of the “Ultimate Rivals” franchise. “Fans of the franchise can expect the studio to remain dedicated to an exceptionally high quality experience, including all of the standard baseline ingredients of a Bit Fry game, such as 60fps framerates minimum, an unprecedented balance of approachable gameplay and high skill-cap depth, and industry standard-setting visuals and auditory aesthetics.” 

The agreement grants Bit Fry the right to feature the names, numbers, images and likenesses of nearly 2,000 current NFL players in an arcade action football game. OneTeam, the NFLPA’s group licensing representative, facilitated the deal.

“We are constantly exploring ways to innovate how athletes interact with fans across the ever-evolving games landscape, and this partnership with the NFLPA and Bit Fry Game Studios illustrates the creative potential that exists,” says Ahmad Nassar, chief executive officer, OneTeam Partners. 

“Ultimate Rivals: The Rink” is available now exclusively on Apple Arcade and will be followed by “Ultimate Rivals: The Court.” Bit Fry’s football game is scheduled for release in 2021 with platforms to be announced at a later date.