At Low6, ‘spotting the invisible before anyone else’ has been a key strategy when it comes to developing new and innovative products that capture the attention of millennials and Generation Z (GenZ) sports fans.
So when it came to developing Ultimate Fan, the team at Low6 sought to combine pack openings, fantasy football and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Cast your eyes back to early 2021 and NFTs began to soar – for those that aren’t familiar with NFTs, this meant that that digitised artwork was being sold across the blockchain platform for thousands of dollars.
With this in mind, the product team at low6 had the idea of creating a blockchain marketplace platform where users could buy/sell/trade ‘player cards’ that could be used in any of the Low6 games. This is when Ultimate Fan was created.
Ultimate Fan releases pack drops which reveal players in the form of cards for users to build and manage their lineups. Cards are then graded in terms of player abilities, with players ranked as either Gold or Base. Users will use the cards to create lineups which earn points based on real life player and team performances.
If a user is unhappy with their cards, they can then trade their cards through our UF marketplace with others on the Ultimate Fan platform.
Jamie Mitchell, Low6 co-founder, told SBC: “We believe that Ultimate Fan is the next iteration of fantasy sport, offering a unique player experience. The excitement of pack openings coupled with fantasy team selection and management make Ultimate Fan a game set to take EUROS by storm.
“This is just the start of the Ultimate Fan journey. After registering the football player cards on the blockchain, participants will see trading opportunities arrive on the platform before too long.
Wayne Stevenson, Low6 Co- founder, added: “We are delighted to also announce CASTORE as the headline sponsor of Ultimate Fan who, like low6, have ambitions of being the number one brand in their marketplace, and they align perfectly to our values. Subscribe to Ultimate Fan for gold player packs, 30% off CASTORE products and merchandise.”
What was the thought process behind creating a game centered around player pack openings? For Low6, the answer simply lies in their two core demographics: Millennials and GenZ sports fans.
As seen through its partnerships with the YouTube influencer community, ‘live pack openings’ and player pack games have proved to be very popular among ‘next-gen’ sports fans. By ensuring that Ultimate Fan takes a ‘community-led’ approach, Low6 believes that it can continue to engage with new players.
“We paired the excitement and thrill you feel when you open up your EA Sports FIFA packs (mystery of not knowing who you will get), with the ever-so popular Fantasy Football game,” added Josh Turk, CMO of Low6.
“Low6’s exponential rise in users was mainly due to its partnerships with the Youtube influencer community – and if you look further, some of their most popular and engaging videos are those of ‘LIVE pack openings’.
“We are living in a community-first era. Ultimate Fan is at the forefront of building community-led products. Ultimate Fan delivers a first-class fantasy experience with a twist. Our accelerated growth stems from our high K-factor (virality) and is spearheaded by ultimately ‘word-of-mouth’ – people who engage with our games/experiences want to share those experiences with their friends.
“Fan-first experiential gamification is our founding building block to all games/apps we create, driving community-led acquisition through shared passion among our user base.”
The release of Ultimate Fan will build upon Low6’s successes in the last year, with the company amassing more than 160,000 new users already – growth which has largely been driven by the flagship Picks product released during the last football season.
Due to run parallel with Ultimate Fan during the UEFA EUROs this month, Low6’s Weekly7 – in collaboration with Uber Eats UK – plans keeping players engaged with a £5 voucher and a chance to win £1,000,000 in their free score predictor contest.
Meanwhile UFC Picks – the official UFC pick’em app of the UK and Ireland – has remained popular for avid MMA fans as they seek to compete in a £5,000 free-to-play pick’em contest each major UFC event this year.
This latest product ‘ Ultimate Fan’, Low6 believes, will only help drive further exponential growth for the company and create added excitement and engagement for sports fans alike.
You can play Ultimate Fan for free with £125,000 prize pool up for grabs during the Euros this June. Who will you get in your pack openings? #UFsquad