Successful sports simulation games largely seem to find success at the blockbuster level. While smaller, weirder sports titles like the NBA Jam series shine from time to time, games that try to alter the tried-and-true formulas of traditional sports are far more often overshadowed by FIFA, NBA 2K and other marquee franchises. Sports game development company Nifty Games is now hoping to reshape the sports simulation game world by committing to creating mobile sports titles that match in-depth strategy with short, mobile-friendly gameplay. The Nifty Games team has that it secured $12 million in Series A funding in addition to releasing some initial details about its first game, NFL Clash.
New investors in Nifty Games include names like Vulcan Capital (the♒ investment arm of Vulcan Inc., which is the company owned by Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers owner Paul Allen) and Courtside Ventures, an investment fund focused on sports-related media. Investors past and present also include team own🎐ers from across most major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS and some esports teams.
The company describes NFL Clash as a head-to-head football game in which a single match can be completed in minutes. While details are currently scarce, the general idea is to approxima♋te the depth of a full football match rather than reduce or approximate individual elements of a football game into something more rudimentary, while still fitting comfortably into a quick mobile format.
To create NFL Clash, Nifty Games purchased licenses from both the NFL and the NFLPA (National Football League Players 🐼Association). Rachel Hoagland, who works as a Vice President and꧑ Head of Gaming and eSports for the NFL, explained that the league is aware of a significant portion of its viewership that enjoys video games. By working with Nifty Games, the league hopes to bolster its mobile game offerings and cater to this specific audience.
Nifty Games previously announced partnerships with the NBA and National Basketball Players Association as well, and while they have yet to release details about a mobile basketball title, the company has plans to release something similar to NFL Clash for the NBA as well.
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