Barcelona has unveiled its own video game platform, called Barca Games.
In an unusual move, FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi‘s home club for the past 21 years, has launched the video game platform Barça Games, the first of its kind created by a sports team.
Barça Games, created in collaboration with FC Barcelona, Mas Ros Media, and FireSPORTS, was revealed on 8 November at the FC Barcelona museum headquarters in Barcelona, Spain.
The new portal will not only provide games, but also a variety of streaming material for the gaming community, such as series, documentaries, and movies.
Barça Games, which is set to begin in April of next year, is part of the Club’s goal to generate digital material for enjoyment, as well as its purpose to approach new audiences and reach new generations of fans.
The presentation was held in the Barça Immersive Tour, Europe’s largest immersive room in a sporting museum, and was attended by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta, Marcos Santana, the creator of Mas Ros Media, and Rodrigo Figueroa Reyes, the founder and CEO of FireSPORTS.
“The creation of the Barça Games platform is in response to the Club’s wish to continue leading in terms of new opportunities and to aid the construction of the Digital Espai Barça, bringing together in a single digital community all those Barça fans we have around the world and strengthening their sense of belonging to FC Barcelona,” said Laporta of the club, who was the leader in fan engagement in 2022 and for two consecutive years, boasting over 1.4 million interactions. It cemented its position as the most followed sports entity on social media, with 400 million followers.
According to Mas Ros Media founder Marcos Santana, “broadband fragmented entertainment, sport, and video games combined will become leaders in the sector,” and Barça Games “represents both in one platform and under the Barça brand, one of the most important and relevant in sports in the entire world.”
Rodrigo Figueroa Reyes, founder and CEO of FireSPORTS, said: “Barça Games will become a dream for the most important brands in the world because it will allow them to connect with one of the most complex and difficult audiences to reach, via creative, sophisticated and unique formats from the world-famous FC Barcelona.”
The platform, which is still in development, will soon reveal announcements and events that will provide insight into its mix of traditional sports and gaming. More information will be released as the launch date approaches.
The presentation provided an overview of planned events such as Spotify music, gaming, tournaments, socializing, and a unique store for Barça Games products and event tickets. Gamer passes are now available.
Barça Games will include on-demand programming and will promote an interactive worldwide community centered on FC Barcelona.
Users can earn points to gain admittance into the Virtual Masia, a digital counterpart of the renowned school aimed at developing both professional and casual gamers. It also promotes educational initiatives through streaming, broadcasting, and social media management.
