Developed by UK-based game producer Silent Manager, it consists of both free and paid-for premium versions, aimed at 25- to 45-year-old middle-class consumers. Users can customise their own football team from the top 120 European footballers, and enter the team in a 'local league' against friends, and the main competition. Each week, points are allocated based on performances of the real players in their respective leagues.
"I was amazed at how eager the Chinese sports fans are with the soccer, and in particular some of the top teams from Europe," said Rudy Chan, CEO, China.com.
The free version allows users to familiarise themselves with the game, with one player trade allowed each month. However, the premium version -- which costs 15Rmb (US$1.85) per month -- provides for up to eight trades. Silent Manager's commercial director and partner, Jon Trigg, said both versions would be appealing, and would create a viral effect.
"It provides some nice stickiness, some rich content and an interactive element," he said. Because the fantasy sport concept is still new to the region, both Silent Manager and China.com are unsure exactly how popular it will prove with their target audience. "It will be interesting to see what demographic takes it up in China," said Trigg.
He noted the concept has proved immensely popular in Europe and other parts of the world, with advertisers eager to sign up and take advantage of the branded marketing opportunities an interactive game presents. Emailed results, news, game and portal promotions and product advertisements can all be tailored to fit the profiles of individual registered users. It is the latest push into the sports content category for China.com, after recently inking a deal with three top English Premier League clubs --Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal -- to provide Chinese-language club sites on its portal.
Chan said the decision to create and provide a higher level of European football content, mirrors the results of a recent Manchester United survey on their global fan base. "(They) did a study and there are 20 million fans in China, which they said was 40 per cent of the worldwide Manchester United fan base," he said.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post is offering a similar fantasy football game as part of its revamped weekend sports offering, 'Footy'. The supplement includes news and reviews on the English and other European leagues.