Manchester City has come leaps and bounds since the takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008. The club has been getting great results on the pitch and also becoming a commercial powerhouse off it. The latest partnership deal signed off by the City group is with Animoca Brands.
As part of this agreement, Animoca will be creating a series of games for Manchester City’s men’s and women’s teams. Along with Manchester City, Animoca will also work with the sister club of the English club, Melbourne City. Animoca Brands will also create digital collectibles for both clubs.
Considering fans are not allowed into the Etihad Stadium in Manchester for the Premier League games, digital initiatives from the club will be helpful to keep fans engaged in this difficult time. Since the new strain of the virus has been found in the United Kingdom, fans are unlikely to return anytime soon, forcing clubs to remain connected with fans through digital platforms.
Man City is not the only big club in Europe working with a gaming company. Paris Saint-Germain recently extended its contract with renowned gaming company Supercell. More European clubs are working with gaming companies in the past few years. They are also creating an esports team to participate in various global competitions.
The City group continues to grow commercially across the globe by acquiring clubs on various continents. In the Indian Super League, they have acquired a big stake in Mumbai City FC. They are still historically way behind the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool in terms of achievement, but commercially they are not far.