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Gaming

FANDOM EXPLORES THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF GAMING & SELF-EXPRESSION IN 2024 INSIDE GAMING REPORT

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Study Provides New Insights Into How Brands Can Authentically Engage With Gamers to Help Them Express Their Best Selves Off-Screen.

KEY FINDINGS

Gaming has exploded over the past decade, becoming one of the most dynamic and expansive industries across the globe. Fandom, the world’s largest fan platform, dives into the heart of the gaming community to uncover the evolving motivations behind why people game in its 4th annual Inside Gaming report. The 2024 Inside Gaming report – a proprietary study coupled with Fandom’s first-party data from its 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content and 250k fan-powered wikis – captures a notable shift: gaming is increasingly seen as a means for personal expression, exploring one’s identity and providing empowerment and confidence in one’s real life.

Dominant Gaming Motivations

  • While stress relief remains the top reason people turn to games, a striking 46% of gamers list creation, imagination, and self-expression as their main motivations for gaming, up 10% from last year.

Influence on Gaming Habits

  • People who are gaming for self-expression, creation & imagination are 30% more likely to increase their gaming time, feeling more drawn to the gaming world than ever before.

Games Driving Self-Expression

  • 60% of gamers claim that self-expression through gameplay is more important to them than ever before. Titles like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox lead in enabling personal expression through extensive customization options, open-world exploration, and other game updates

Exploring Gamer Identity

  • The report also highlights a significant gap between players’ in-game identities versus their real-life personas, with 80% of respondents feeling their gaming identity differs from their real-life identity.
  • However, half of respondents claim they’d prefer to be more like their in-game personality IRL and 72% would feel more favorably towards brands that help them achieve this.
  • This is especially true of 18-34 year olds, multicultural (specifically African American & Hispanic) audiences as well as women and non-binary audiences.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS

Emphasize Self-Expression:

  • Self-expression is a key driver for gaming engagement. In fact, 32% of gamers want their physical appearance to be more like their in-game appearance.
  • Brands that align with this motivation can enhance their connection with gamers. For example, this represents an opportunity for fashion & beauty brands to explore dedicated product extensions for gamers looking to explore this self-expression.

Create Brand Safe Spaces:

  • 64% believe that gaming communities are vital safe spaces where they can truly be themselves, presenting opportunities for brands to foster and cater to these communities.

Align with Gamers’ IRL Aspirations

  • Many gamers wish to integrate their gaming and real-life personas. Brands that help facilitate this integration can achieve deeper consumer relationships.
  • The study found that 48% of gamers want their IRL skills to be as strong as their gaming skills, opening up an opportunity for brands to explore how they can create ways to provide gamers with products that enhance IRL skills and provide a sense of accomplishment & achievement they get while playing.

 

“From character customization to cosplay and content creation, video games have empowered gamers to explore, express and enhance their identity – nearly two thirds of gamers claim it’s easier to be themselves with a controller in their hands,” said Stephanie Fried, CMO of Fandom. “With the growing significance of gaming as a means for self-expression and personal evolution, it’s crucial for brands to connect to these motivators to help players bring their gaming personas to life in the real world.”

For an interview with a Fandom executive to discuss the study in more detail, please contact Rachelle Savoia at [email protected].

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Methodology:

Fandom surveyed 5,000 entertainment and gaming fans globally to understand the ever changing entertainment landscape. The insights from the study were joined with proprietary insights from Fandom’s first-party platform data of over 350MM users, 45MM content pages across 250K wikis.

 

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Gaming

NASCAR launches persistent world on Roblox where players can become racing tycoons

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NASCAR is once again taking the virtual racing world by storm, this time with the launch of “NASCAR Tycoon” on Roblox created by Dubit.

Building on the success of its previous “NASCAR Speed Hub,” this new experience promises to deliver an even more immersive and interactive NASCAR world.

Developed in partnership with the renowned metaverse studio Dubit, “NASCAR Tycoon” allows players to dive deep into the management and racing aspects of NASCAR, offering a unique blend of strategy and high-speed thrills in a distinctly Roblox-native way.

Players will have the opportunity to jump in the driver’s seat of cars styled after NASCAR’s Next Gen Cup Series vehicles, competing against each other and managing teams in thrilling races. Earning fame and fortune as they build their virtual tycoon, players can make passive income while they play. As players progress in “NASCAR Tycoon,” they will unlock exclusive perks such as building their own NASCAR racing teams, expanding their garages, collecting new cars, accessing customizations and attracting sponsors.

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The launch comes hot on the heels of recent Fortnite activations and follows the debut of NASCAR in Jailbreak and NASCAR Speed Hub last year – a virtual environment built by Dubit, for players to race around tracks linked to real-world races.

“We’re thrilled to launch ‘NASCAR Tycoon’ on Roblox, developed in partnership with Dubit, marking a key milestone in our ongoing efforts to authentically engage with the Roblox community,” said Nick Rend, VP of Interactive and Emerging Platforms at NASCAR. “This initiative is about more than reaching new audiences; it’s about deepening our connection on a platform where we see tremendous potential. By blending the excitement of NASCAR with the interactive and dynamic environment of Roblox, we’re enhancing traditional fandom in ways that are engaging, fun, and distinctly forward-looking.”

With over 300 million monthly active users, Roblox is ripe with opportunities for sporting organisations like NASCAR and offers a chance to engage with audiences in an immersive and interactive environment.

Andrew Douthwaite, Chief Commercial Officer at Dubit, shares his excitement: “We’re thrilled to bring the next phase of NASCAR to life on Roblox, building on the success of previous activations. NASCAR Tycoon allows Roblox players to experience the excitement of NASCAR racing like never before, blending the strategic elements of team management with the adrenaline-pumping action on the track. It has been a true joy working with such a forward-thinking, iconic sports brand in NASCAR, and we look forward to continuing to push the boundaries together”

Dubit has created Roblox activations, virtual merchandise ranges and experiences for global brands including Unilever, Samsung, Reckitt, Kraft, H&M and adidas.

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“NASCAR Tycoon” is now available on Roblox.

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NASCAR unveils first step into the Fortnite ecosystem with custom Rocket Racing tracks inspired by its iconic events and venues

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NASCAR unveils first step into the Fortnite ecosystem with custom Rocket Racing tracks inspired by its iconic events and venues

 

Today, NASCAR, America’s most popular motorsport, has officially entered the Fortnite ecosystem – announcing its debut with a one-of-a-kind, high-octane racing experience built in Rocket Racing.

Developed in partnership with award-winning UK metaverse studio, Karta, the experience launches with a Chicago Street Course map, styled on the real NASCAR Chicago Street Race taking place this Sunday 7th July, merging the thrill of NASCAR racing with the dynamic creativity of the Fortnite ecosystem.

With the first Chicago Street Map, players navigate multiple routes, master the art of speed, drift and avoid obstacles in intense multiplayer races or solo time trials.

Debuting ahead of the real-life Chicago Street Race, NASCAR’s official launch on Fortnite brings its second annual event in the center of one of the world’s greatest cities, into the Fortnite world. The map gives NASCAR fans, and players of all levels who may have never interacted with the sport, the chance to get closer to the real event than ever before – setting it apart from typical Rocket Racing maps.

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With this fun experience aimed at gamers of all levels, NASCAR’s move into the Fortnite ecosystem isn’t just a one-time event while the Chicago race takes place. NASCAR is setting its sights on a permanent fixture on the platform, with the Chicago map marking the start of a long-term racing experience for players to continuously visit. Looking ahead at the NASCAR calendar, fans of America’s No. 1 form of motorsports and the Fortnite community can get excited, as NASCAR eyes wider plans to add more virtual recreations on the platform.

“NASCAR has always been about pushing boundaries and connecting with fans in exciting ways,” said Nick Rend, Managing Director of Esports & Gaming at NASCAR. “Fortnite provides the perfect platform to engage a global audience, blending the intensity of NASCAR racing with the immersive world of Fortnite. Karta, with their incredible creativity, attention to detail and innovative approach, were the perfect partners to help us bring this vision to life. We wanted to build something with longevity for both diehard NASCAR enthusiasts and the wider Fortnite community and we think we have succeeded with just that.”

Erik Londré, CEO of Karta, added, “Working with an icon of motorsports like NASCAR  has been a dream come true. Our goal was to capture the essence of NASCAR racing – the speed, the strategy, the adrenaline – and inject it with a dose of Fortnite fun. The result is something truly special – a high-octane, visually stunning racing experience that we know players will love.”

Karta is an award-winning metaverse studio renowned for creating engaging virtual gaming experiences for global brands. Karta has established itself as a leader in creating accessible and impactful brand experiences within the metaverse across gaming, music and esports.

Since its inception in July 2021, Karta has collaborated with a diverse range of global brands, including Nicki Minaj, BLACKPINK, TWICE, Amazon Music, McDonald’s, Spotify, and Hugo Boss, solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the ever-evolving landscape of metaverse entertainment.

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NZXT and FlyQuest Forge Strategic Partnership Empowering Professional Gamers and Content Creators

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NZXT, a leader in PC gaming components, products and prebuilts, is thrilled to announce a partnership with FlyQuest, a premier esports organization. This collaboration designates NZXT as the “Official PC Partner” for FlyQuest’s LCS, NACL, RED VALORANT, RED CS2 teams, and their content creators.

NZXT and FlyQuest share a vision that gaming is for everyone. NZXT will provide FlyQuest teams and creators with high-performance gaming desktops from their Flex gaming PC subscription service. NZXT Flex provides the flexibility of no long-term commitments, 24/7 technical support and equipment upgrades every two years at an affordable monthly rate. This collaboration guarantees that FlyQuest athletes and creators such as Fiona Nova and Basil, have access to the best technology available. It highlights their shared commitment to empowering gamers and creators to reach their full potential by providing easy access to the latest, high-performance hardware, enhancing their in-game performance.

In the spirit of enabling gamers who aspire to be the best, FlyQuest’s NACL team will be officially branded as FlyQuest NZXT. NZXT’s commitment to FlyQuest’s NACL team extends beyond branding. They are dedicated to providing the resources and support necessary to develop the talent for FlyQuest’s NACL team. NZXT and FlyQuest want to help these aspiring players advance to the LCS and achieve success by fostering an environment where players can thrive. Supporting players in the NACL is crucial for the health of the League of Legends Esports, as it ensures a strong pipeline of talent, elevating the level of competition and making it more exciting for both spectators and players alike. Investing in this talent development is an important goal for both organizations, reflecting their commitment to the future of esports.

NZXT will also lend its brand name across FlyQuest’s teams and facilities, including jersey placement for FlyQuest RED, LCS, and NACL teams. Additionally, FlyQuest’s training center and boot camp will be named the NZXT Boot Camp and the center will be outfitted with NZXT PCs, providing each of FlyQuest’s teams with the best equipment for training and competition.

“It is unique to find a partner who can help every facet of your organization,” said Brian Anderson, CEO of FlyQuest. “On top of providing top-tier gaming units for our competitive success, NZXT will allow FlyQuest to level up all aspects of our business, from creators to content.”

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“We believe that anyone can be a PC gamer and strive to deliver the best gaming experience possible,” said Johnny Hou, Founder and CEO of NZXT. “Our partnership with FlyQuest is a testament to our commitment to this vision. We’re excited to support FlyQuest’s mission and look forward to achieving great things together.”

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