Combining one of many greatest sports activities licenses with one of many strongest launches of a blockchain sport in 2025 so far, Legendary Video games’ FIFA Rivals has introduced over a million cellular downloads.
So the proper alternative to ask CEO John Linden some questions concerning the sport, the response of gamers to a few of its extra stunning options, and what’s subsequent.
What’s the early response been to FIFA Rivals?
John Linden: The early response has been wonderful. It’s already develop into one of many top-performing web3 video games by way of lively customers. We’ve seen over 1,000,000 gamers soar in, with hundreds participating every day in on-chain exercise. What’s most enjoyable is that between the sport itself and culturally resonant partnerships just like the one we have now with adidas, it’s a really mainstream crowd.
The sport feels extra NFT-focused than NFL Rivals. Is that by design?
 Sure, basically, FIFA Rivals is constructed on lots of the learnings from NFL Rivals, however we additionally needed to push the boundaries additional right here. We had a chance to check deeper integration of digital possession mechanics proper out of the gate, given FIFA’s world attraction and our expectations on the secondary market it could command.
It’s nonetheless free-to-play at its core, however we made a acutely aware effort to present onchain property extra presence within the moment-to-moment gameplay and development. So yeah, extra NFT-focused by design, however nonetheless very a lot balanced and accessible.
Have you ever seen a lot crossover between NFL Rivals and FIFA Rivals gamers?
We’re beginning to see it, and that’s thrilling. One in every of our massive long-term targets at Legendary is interoperability — each by way of id and worth. We’ve acquired gamers who minimize their enamel in NFL Rivals and are actually stepping into FIFA, and we’re methods to make that transition really feel extra seamless, even rewarding. The power to maneuver worth throughout video games within the type of tokens or standing is a route we’re very dedicated to exploring.
We’re additionally seeing this play out in an fascinating method geographically, with gamers in nations the place the NFL isn’t represented closely, now dicing into NFL Rivals and vice versa, as a result of there’s now extra publicity after coming into the Legendary gaming ecosystem
The sport is pretty aggressive by way of the Contract/gasoline idea. Has there been any kickback in opposition to that?
We’ve undoubtedly heard suggestions, which we welcome — it’s a part of how we iterate. The Contract mechanic is designed to bolster the worth of owned gamers and guarantee a constant technique and circulation in team-building choices. Nonetheless, we’re watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t really feel punitive.
That is a kind of areas the place we’re discovering the right steadiness, always monitoring, tuning and adjusting based mostly on information and neighborhood enter.
What’s been the restrictions by way of getting soccer participant rights for the sport? How do you anticipate to develop the library over time?Any time you’re working with real-world athletes and world federations, there’s a fancy licensing panorama.
With FIFA and FIFPro, we’ve acquired entry to a robust set of gamers out of the gate, and we’re already increasing that by means of extra rights offers, signing golf equipment and leagues as we converse, with the purpose of an inclusive sport that includes all of the leagues, nations, golf equipment, and gamers.
You’ll see extra legends, nationwide workforce icons, and membership gamers roll out as we go.Â
The usage of Fragments as rewards that encourage new gamers into {the marketplace}, whereas additionally permitting whales to flex is a intelligent transfer. The place did the inspiration come from?
We’ve been pondering lots about scalable, sustainable web3 economies — the best way to create techniques that aren’t only for high spenders but in addition invite informal gamers to have interaction meaningfully. As a result of everybody needs one thing legendary, proper?
To accumulate the rarest objects within the sport, however in fascinating and incentivizing ways in which nonetheless profit the secondary financial system. Fragments got here out of that pondering.Â
We checked out conventional free-to-play crafting mechanics and requested: what does this seem like onchain? How can a more moderen participant work their method towards premium objects, whereas giving superior gamers a method to unlock higher-tier flexes?
It’s a win-win dynamic that helps the entire participant base.
Discover out extra on the FIFA Rivals web site.
