Yesterday, German fan engagement firm Stryking said it signed soccer club FC Bayern Munich for its blockchain collectibles platform. This is the first licensing agreement for Stryking, with plans to onboard sports clubs, leagues and other sports rights holders on its blockchain platform.
Animoca Brands subsidiary Stryking is offering non-fungible tokens representing star players from Bayern Munich. These player cards are tradable, and the immutable nature of blockchain will secure their value. Digital collectibles are becoming popular as they provide a way for club owners and corporates to engage fans who are spread across the world.
“In the upcoming weeks and months we will add more football licenses and other sports to the platform. Our vision is to build a truly global hub where sports fans meet to collect and trade as well as play with their digital collectibles,” said Dirk Weyel, Founder & CEO of Stryking Entertainment.
Ledger Insights has contacted Bayern Munich to confirm the deal but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Stryking’s platform also has a fantasy sports system where users can field real players using the non-fungible tokens. Using this system, users can compete with each other, and the results will be calculated based on the real-life performance of the players. The idea is to increase the value of a user’s player cards, which can be traded on the marketplace.
The gaming company Animoca Brands recently acquired Stryking. Although the company did not say so, Animoca’s other sports licensing partnerships will potentially benefit Stryking’s platform.
The blockchain platform directly rivals Fantastec’s SWAP, which has licensing arrangements with Real Madrid, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
Socios.com is another company that is using blockchain for fan engagement. It has signed deals with Atlético Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma and West Ham United. The company is developing fan tokens which can be used for voting in certain decisions related to the clubs.
Two weeks ago, PR firm Havas partnered with H2O FinTech for a blockchain-based fan engagement solution. The goal is to reward fans with tokens for social media activity and games participation.
