Ahead of Wimbledon 2023, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) launched a set of fresh digital experiences targeting younger fans with the launch of updated tennis mobile app games, fresh additions to its ‘WimbleWorld’ experience on metaverse platform Roblox and the launch of a Fortnite game titled ‘Race To Wimbledon’.
Rolling out and promoted ahead of 2023 tournament (which runs from 3 to 23 July), the wave of digital experience and gaming initiatives seek to both reward current young tennis fans and attract new ones and are promoted through a multi-channel marketing approach spanning social, digital (including via a bespoke space on the tournament’s official website at wimbledon.com/gaming), in-game and via PR.
The strategy behind the digital activations is to engage existing young fans, attract new ones and expand further into the digital sphere to evolve the heritage brand beyond traditional audiences, expectations and experiences
The new Fortnite ‘Race To Wimbledon’ game sees players challenged to beat Andy Murray in a scramble to reach the tournament’s SW19 home involving running, driving, parkouring and flying past iconic London landmarks in a race to Centre Court in the fastest time possible.
Presented in partnership with top tier partner American Express, the game challenges competitors to speed past iconic London landmarks like Big Ben and the London Eye, navigate through Wimbledon village, past Andy Murray’s 2012 Olympic Games golden letterbox, while swerving larger-than-life tournament-linked obstacles like giant strawberries and tennis rackets, to make it to Centre Court faster than brand ambassador and former champion Andy Murray and are then encouraged to post their own times on their personal social media channels).
‘Race to Wimbledon’ is available on Epic Games’ Fortnite across multiple digital devices and platforms, as well as on-site throughout The Championships at the American Express Fan Experience in the Southern Village and is promoted pre-tournament through an integrated campaign led by social media and amplified by gamers.
Plus, from 3 July, a ‘Championships Mode’ of the game will launch in line with the start of ‘Wimbledon Fortnight’ during which those who reach the top 10 on the leaderboard will be eligible to win tournament-related prizes (including semi-final tickets for The Championships 2024 and a range of items from the Wimbledon Shop).
While the Roblox-based ‘WimbledWorld’ initiative – first launched in 2022 – has been refreshed with new features rolling out from 27 June. These include ‘Lawn of Champions’ (which sees players prepare the famous grass courts by mowing and painting the lines on the courts) and a treasure hunt enabling players to earn/win a hawk to sit on the shoulder of their avatar across all Roblox experiences.
The AELTC also simultaneously launched a new version of its gamified tennis app ‘Wimbledon Smash’: a game that enables players to control a racket and serve a tennis ball with the aim of breaking as many bricks as possible: with rain, wind and surprise items also affecting the game. The updated version of the app features a year-round ‘campaign’ mode where players can train and progress through different levels.
For the very first time, Wimbledon is offering fans a chance to have their name displayed beside the Centre Court as a ‘Wimbledon Smash Leaderboard’ will be shown on screens around the grounds between 3 and 16 July.
While the AELTC has also launched a Wimbledon season collaboration with leading mobile game Tennis Clash (the world’s most popular tennis mobile gaming app). Indeed, during The Championships fans can also take part in Wimbledon season on Tennis Clash with players dressed in special white match kit (adhering to Wimbledon’s dress codes) and be able to take to play on Centre Court.
“The magic of Wimbledon has reached many generations of fans in every corner of the world. With changes in the way people consume content and interact with sports events, it is important that we find new ways to reach them and convey what makes Wimbledon so special,” said AELTC Digital products Lead Chris Clements, Digital Products Lead. “We believe this range of initiatives, including Race to Wimbledon, will help us achieve this ambition.”
AELTC Marketing & Commercial Director Usama Al-Qassab commented: “The scale of Fortnite and Roblox with more than 200 million players each, and the enjoyment these players experience through digital initiatives like Race to Wimbledon and WimbleWorld, will help Wimbledon reach new audiences in even more immersive ways than ever before.”
Comment
These digital initiatives build on the 2022 launch of the AELTC’s ‘WimbleWorld’ initiative on metaverse platform Roblox which has established itself as one of the most visited official sports experiences on Roblox: it has received more than 12m visits, with more than 80% of users aged under 24.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.