Al-Nassr and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has become an investor in the free-to-play video game UFL.
The football superstar has invested more than $40m in the video game that is a skill-first approach tool created by gamers, aiming to have a “major impact on the way football fans interact with the world of gaming”.
The new title will receive a global push by Ronaldo through his seismic global social media following and status as one of football’s most iconic players, and enhance UFL by supporting its business.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this project as UFL can become the new breed in football gaming,” said Ronaldo.
Strikerz Inc, the company behind UFL, believes there is an opportunity in the gaming market for a game like UFL to combine “outstanding gameplay” and interaction features to connect players.
This market has also been shaken recently, as EA Sports rebranded from its historic ‘FIFA’ title to ‘EA FC’ as part of the rollout of its newest release ‘EA FC24’, with UFL looking to challenge them.
Aiming to differentiate from the long-time football video game, UFL is aiming to deliver gameplay that “rewards tactical knowledge and gaming ability”, whilst also showcasing new features and regular updates with no mandatory payments or yearly fees.
Whilst Strikerz are yet to unveil a release date for the game, a closed testing phase for UFL began this autumn. The game will be made available on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X and S consoles.
Eugene Nashilov, CEO of Strikerz Inc., stated: “Having Cristiano Ronaldo join us as a partner and investor is a significant step forward and an endorsement of our vision to create the leading game for football fans in the world.
“UFL is committed to innovation, technology and entertainment and we see significant potential to do things differently in the gaming industry.
“This is an ambition shared by Cristiano and we are excited to be working together, while continuing to engage with future investors, to create a game that fills a gap in the football gaming market by unifying a rich gaming experience with continuous progress and a fair approach.”
