Yesterday, the NFL voted to continue their relationship with EA and the Madden franchise until the end of 2025. There is, however, another publisher that has a license with the league and the NFLPA, and their new game, NFL Clash, will launch later this year.
NFL Clash and Nifty Games
NFL Clash is a new mobile game developed by Nifty Games, a new developer and publisher of mobile sports games and one that was formed by gaming industry veterans who have developers over 200 games. As of April, the company had secured USD 12M in Series A financing, and USD 15M of funding. Nifty Games investors include Vulcan Capital, Courtside Ventures, Transcend Fund, Century Game and OneTeam Ventures, an investment vehicle created by RedBird Capital, the NFLPA, MLBPA, MLSPA, USWNTPA and WNBPA.
NFL Clash is Nifty Games’ first title, and the publisher promises to bring gamers a unique and authentic gaming experience. Rather than developing a casual mini-game or a simulation that was migrated over from a console, Nifty Games stated back in April that their goal for NFL Clash was to deliver deep gameplay that is specifically designed for mobile users.
On the release of NFL Clash, Rachel Hoagland, the NFL’s vice president of Gaming and eSports, stated, “The NFL has always been keenly aware that a large portion of our fanbase loves to engage our sport through video games.” She added, “We’ve looked to bolster our offering on mobile devices and are thrilled at the built-for-mobile clash-style gaming that Nifty Games will deliver to our fans.”
Pete Wanat, the Co-Founder and and Chief Creative Officer for Nifty Games, stated regarding NFL Clash, “Sports games have yet to hit their stride on mobile, and Nifty Games is excited to team up with the NFL and NFLPA with a mobile-first take that opens up new audiences and engages fans everywhere.”