SpongeBob will get prepared for Tremendous Bowl LVIII with Roblox and Gamefam

Gamefam introduced final week that it was partnering with the NFL on a particular activation: A SpongeBob-themed Tremendous Bowl occasion inside a number of of its standard video games in Roblox. This occasion is a continuation of Gamefam’s earlier collaboration with the NFL, which incorporates final yr’s Saweetie live performance and its Tremendous NFL Tycoon recreation. The occasion launched on February 2 and can run via February 19, previous the tip of Tremendous Bowl LVIII.

The SpongeBob-themed occasion is within the lately launched SpongeBob Simulator, in addition to a number of of Gamefam’s different video games: Simple Obby, Tremendous NFL Tycoon, Twilight Daycare and TMNT Battle Tycoon. Every recreation options a lot of totally different Tremendous Bowl and SpongeBob-related quests. Gamers full challenges for a lot of totally different prizes, together with wearable cosmetics associated to the occasion.

Parker Bennett, Gamefam’s affiliate supervisor of brand name partnerships, spoke to GamesBeat about constructing the in-game occasion. “The entire foundation across the occasion is ‘The Tremendous Bowl involves Bikini Backside.’ So we wished to deliver a mashup of SpongeBob and Tremendous Bowl LVIII throughout all 5 titles. You actually really feel such as you’re in Bikini Backside and the Tremendous Bowl is there when you’re taking part in these video games … All these video games have massive audiences constructed into them — there are sports activities followers inside Roblox. They actually get to expertise the Tremendous Bowl in-game in a enjoyable and interesting manner they wouldn’t be capable to in any other case.”

Approaching a youthful era by way of Roblox

The profit for the NFL, says Bennett, is that the Roblox occasion helps promote the Tremendous Bowl to a youthful viewers who may in any other case ignore the sport in favor of Roblox. This echoes the sentiment of CEO Joe Ferencz, who mentioned of the SpongeBob occasion, “As Roblox continues to scale, we’re seeing an incredible alternative to amplify the most important IRL moments for Gen Z and Alpha. Constructing on our profitable work with the NFL, we’re excited to super-charge our program by bringing one of many world’s greatest cultural touchpoints to a brand new viewers on Roblox, with the purpose of immersing the subsequent era of NFL followers within the craze of Tremendous Bowl.”

Alli Guglielmino, Gamefam’s SVP of progress, instructed GamesBeat in the identical interview that one of many objectives for the developer is authenticity, and never alienating gamers uninterested within the Tremendous Bowl. “We need to make certain the expertise is extraordinarily genuine to gamers and the sport itself. We don’t need something to really feel prefer it’s not part of the traditional gameplay expertise… . It’s nonetheless precisely the identical gameplay, however it’s simply including these enjoyable and kooky components to it.”

Ed Kiang, VP of video video games on the NFL, concurred with this sentiment in an announcement, “The NFL continues to satisfy followers the place they’re and metaverse gaming has confirmed to be a profitable avenue for the league in attaining that … Bringing collectively the NFL with SpongeBob and TMNT to Roblox’s over 70M every day customers additional demonstrates how the NFL is working to achieve new audiences whereas participating current followers with entertaining and modern activations tied to the NFL’s largest tentpole occasion.”