SimWin Sports, the world's first virtual sports league that provides daily fantasy players and esports fans with the ability to watch, predict, collect, play, and earn, today announced a multi-year technology partnership with Bidstack, the technology company pioneering native in-game advertising. Bidstack also launched Bidstack Sports - a dedicated division formed to expand the scope of access and depth of activation for sponsorship and fan engagement models in virtual sports environments. This partnership will see the world's first virtual fantasy sports league integrate Bidstack's enterprise technology across its growing universe of sports franchises and properties.
The foundational product launch for Bidstack Sports is a first-of-its-kind tech solution that enables both league and club rights holders to instantaneously deliver dynamic content and messaging within their virtual stadiums and environments, supporting the versatile control of highly-valuable digital spaces. This marks a step change for traditional sports sponsorship by establishing a technological gateway that enables real and virtual world activations to operate in parallel, unlocking new complementary revenue models, and supporting next-gen fan engagement and continued industry growth.
Bidstack Sports is led by EA SPORTS veteran and former head of commercial partnerships for Madden NFL, Alex Nunez, who partnered with Pizza Hut to create the world’s first virtual stadium rights deal inside Madden NFL 20.
“We’re incredibly proud to launch Bidstack Sports with SimWin Sports, a first-of-its-kind platform that resembles a traditional sports architecture of individual leagues and franchises portrayed in the virtual space; this partnership showcases the power, sophistication and control of Bidstack tech and shines the light on our potential to expand to every corner of the sports industry,” said Alex Nunez, SVP & Head of Bidstack Sports. “Each year, the advancements in sports simulation gaming are bringing fans closer to the real-world experience – from gameplay animation and athlete likenesses to the environmental and atmospheric detail of the most iconic venues in sport. Our mission is to help amplify that evolving realism, while introducing innovative commercial growth and fan-engagement opportunities in the virtual space made possible through Bidstack’s tech.”
SimWin Sports will launch with a league of 32 American football teams before spanning out to basketball, soccer, and other sports with teams and franchises under the stewardship of celebrity owners and sports stars, including Magic Johnson and Jerry Rice. Bidstack’s technology and new rights-holder product will underpin SimWin’s stadium sponsorship and marketing ecosystem by allowing franchise owners to manage and monetize virtual environments through advanced audience targeting, native rendering, and data processing capabilities.
“Bidstack’s technology is a natural fit to power sponsorships in our sports metaverse. Advertising is critical to success in real-world and digital sports leagues, and Bidstack brings superior technology and capabilities to the games,” said David Ortiz. “Their ability to segment, target, and serve integrated, immersive ads authentically within the SimWin universe enables our franchise owners to curate unique stadium atmospheres for sponsors and fans. These uniquely designed game developer tools are unlocking new levels of growth potential for SimWin Sports.”
NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion Marshall Faulk joins an all-star roster of SimWin franchise owners, having acquired the San Diego Battleships team. Kicking off the digital season, Faulk aims to draft the ultimate roster, driving his team to a historic inaugural championship.
“Bidstack takes SimWin’s in-game advertising capabilities to the next level. My San Diego Battleships team utilizes this tech to mirror every aspect of a traditional pro sports sponsorship inventory, from ad space across jumbotrons and ribbon boards to stadium naming rights and jersey patch sponsors. With Bidstack, SimWin franchises maintain full creative control, supported by a range of data-targeting and advanced reporting capabilities that help demonstrate clear value to our sponsors. This tech is delivering the next generation of sports advertising within the next generation of sports gaming, and I’m excited to be a part of it all,” commented Faulk.
Bidstack Sports will build on existing ties to the sports industry, which began with the iconic Football Manager franchise in 2017. James Draper, Founder, and CEO of Bidstack, initially formed the lasting bonds between the company and Football Manager’s Sports Interactive and Norwich City FC, which recently renewed its longstanding relationship with Bidstack to serve as its esports sponsor and fan engagement partner.
“Bidstack has been inseparable from the sports industry since we signed Football Manager more than five years ago,” said James Draper, Founder and CEO of Bidstack. “Even back then, as a small startup, we had the conviction to sponsor Norwich, knowing that sports would play a huge role in our future. I’m thrilled that Bidstack Sports will intensify our company’s bond to the sports industry.”
Bidstack’s in-game advertising technology has already been integrated into dozens of sporting titles, with the latest product iteration set to develop Bidstack’s existing partnerships further and introduce new growth strategies that accelerate an era of innovation within the sports industry.