If you’re a Manchester City fan, and watching the English Premier League-leading football club isn’t already taking up most of your time, chances are the team’s new game will take care of that…just as soon as you open Facebook Messenger.
In a move apparently to further engage fans — though what fan isn’t engaged by a club with 16 wins and one draw on the season?— Manchester City has launched its first Facebook Messenger game, Manchester City Football Striker. The game pits you against your friends in a competition to knock bouncing soccer balls into the net using different cartoon Man City players on the Etihad Stadium pitch, the announcement revealed.
“We are constantly introducing unique ways for our local and global fan base to connect with Manchester City via exclusive content across a broad spectrum of digital platforms,” Nuria Tarre, City Football Group’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement.
“With over 27 million followers on Facebook, our social media network represents one of our most important means of reaching our fans and providing them with the content they want to enjoy. Facebook Messenger Instant Games is another way for us to connect with our fans and we look forward to seeing how this new digital offering could grow.”
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The game, which social gaming platform Gamee helped produce, allows you to unlock Man City players by earning coins through advancement in competitions. You can access the game through the Facebook Messenger app or by visiting the platform through the web on mobile or desktop; it is compatible with iOS and Android.
This effort follows successful digital forays by Manchester City into Apple News, Amazon Fire TV, and Dugout, as well as an esports venture, according to the announcement. Back in 2016, Man City became the first world football team to have a presence on Facebook Messenger, and it followed that groundbreaking move by introducing virtual reality; using Snap Inc.’s Spectacles; hosting two Google-sponsored hackathons and a United States FIFA 17 tournament; and, recently, being featured in an Amazon Prime video series.
“Manchester City’s commitment to digital innovation is truly making a mark on the world of sport. To see a football club offer a suite of engaging apps, push the boundaries with VR and even host hackathons is unheard of,” Gamee co-founder and CEO Bozena Rezab said in a statement. “It was a fantastic experience to work with such an innovative team; Manchester City is definitely one to watch and I am looking forward to seeing what they do next.”
In preparation for June’s FIFA World Cup, perhaps you can even foster international competition by playing Manchester City Football Striker against friends across Europe, Asia, North America, and elsewhere.
Or stay local and challenge a friend who supports second-place Manchester United.