As long as you haven’t been living under a rock, you’re almost certainly aware that the 2022 FIFA World Cup is currently underway. This time around, it’s taking place in Qatar, and already, hundreds of millions of football fans have tuned in to check out the action as it unfolds. If you’re looking to celebrate the World Cup in your own way, some of the most popular gaming platforms have kicked off events or released special packs to commemorate this magical competition.
From PUBG to Fortnite and from Rocket League to Modern Warfare 2, many developers are actively taking advantage of the hype generated by the FIFA World Cup. It’s good business, at the end of the day, as this is statistically the most popular sporting event in the history of the world, and it brings in more than a billion viewers every time it goes live.
So, if you’re a) a gamer, and b) eager to celebrate the FIFA World Cup, here’s how you can do it.
Celebrate The FIFA World Cup by Playing Games
It was recently reported that Neymar Jr. was caught playing CSGO between matches at the FIFA World Cup. It was already relatively common knowledge that the Brazilian superstar is a fan of the top-rated esports title, especially following his tweets aimed at the recent IEM Rio Major:
There’s a fine line between traditional sports and esports, and of course, by association, gaming in general. That’s why some of the most popular games in the world right now are building a connection between themselves and the FIFA World Cup, in an attempt to both drum up business and give fans a way to celebrate the tournament in-game.
Firstly, there’s Rocket League, which has opened up a special event in which players can unlock ‘Nike Federation and Global Decals’ for countries taking part in the FIFA World Cup. This event is titled the Nike FC Showdown, and it’s a special themed event put in place to celebrate the World Cup. In Modern Warfare 2, the “Support a Team” event has gone live, serving as the opening act to a more broad ‘Modern Warfare FC’ event.
In the Support a Team phase of the event, players can vote on (or predict) match winners for upcoming figures, and if they guess correctly, they’ll win exclusive blueprints. Not only that, but Activision also intends to introduce a Rocket League-style mode called CODBall while the World Cup is live.
FIFA World Cup Skin-Fuelled Frenzy
Image Credit: Activision
For the most part, developers are getting involved in the action by creating skins that players can wear while they enjoy their respective games. In PUBG, a Neymar Jr. was released, which is no real surprise, considering the player has been named an ambassador of the game. There are also themed objects scattered around the game, such as footballs, billboards, and advertisements.
It’s a similar story in Fortnite, as Epic Games has released a whole host of skins related to the FIFA World Cup. While there may be a political subtone to these skins (such as addressing Qatar’s banning of pride symbols), they’re just one more way in which players can show their support for the World Cup.
Finally, in Call of Duty Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2, players can purchase World Cup skin packs that bring some of the sport’s finest competitors onto the battlefield. There are packs featuring Neymar Jr., Pogba, and Lionel Messi, and, admittedly, the skins are masterfully crafted and a perfect representation of the players.
Will you be celebrating the FIFA World Cup by taking part in these events or by purchasing a skin?
If you want to know more about how industries are supporting the World Cup, check out our coverage of the AI League NFT game that was crafted to celebrate the tournament.
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