AELTC
- WimbleWorld offers online games and social features
- Digital environment also offers match data and highlights
The All England Club (AELTC) has built a digital recreation of Wimbledon’s Centre Court in the Roblox video game platform as part of its 100-year celebration of the arena.
‘WimbleWorld’ offers a mixture of online games, video content, and social features for fans aged under 18 that can’t be engaged via its other metaverse world, the Virtual Hill.
In the Roblox environment, users can roam a fantasy representation of the grounds using their digital avatar and compete against each other on the tennis court, earning digital ‘coin packs’ that can be redeemed for digital merchandise.
In addition, there are highlights from the tournament and the opportunity to meet famous players like Andy Murray.
The tennis Grand Slam will also stage a take over the popular Stroman Simulator game, which is also made by its development partner ‘The Gang’, allowing players to win limited edition items for their avatar, including the cap that Murray is wearing at this year’s event.
“Our mission is to ensure that the fans of tomorrow grow up loving Wimbledon just as much as the fans of today,” said Alexandra Willis, AELTC communications and marketing director.
“We are delighted to be making this a reality through WimbleWorld on Roblox, giving fans the chance to compete virtually on Centre Court. Thank you to all the team at Roblox and The Gang for making this vision a reality in our desire to reach the next generation of tennis fans, and to Andy Murray and Ralph Lauren for being a part of WimbleWorld in its first year.”
“Roblox is a platform where millions of tennis and sports fans can connect globally and so the launch of WimbleWorld represents an incredible opportunity for Wimbledon to engage a whole new audience and ensure the tournament’s legacy lives on into the next century,” said Christina Wootton, vice president of global partnerships at Roblox.
SportsPro says…
WimbleWorld is the latest product of the AELTC’s digital engagement strategy, which aims to recreate the physical Wimbledon experience for remote fans via broadcast initiatives, applications, and data-driven features like IBM’s SlamTracker.
The organisation hopes a virtual centre court will help to further bridge the gap between events in SW19 and tennis fans around the world, while also reaching a younger demographic on one of the most popular online gaming services. The National Football League (NFL) also has a presence on Roblox.
Entering the metaverse also provides an additional activation tool for Wimbledon’s partners, a truly modern approach for one of sport’s most traditional events.
