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. 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.

“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. 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,” said Ben Freidlin, CEO and founder of Bit Fry Game Studios and the creator of the Ultimate Rivals franchise.

“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,” said 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.”

“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,” said Ahmad Nassar, CEO, 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.