Fortnite and the NFL have announced a new partnership.

From Friday the 9th November, players of the popular game will be able to purchase skins that resemble the uniforms of their favorite NFL teams, bringing the world of American football into the world of Fortnite as two popular brands collide.

In addition to skins of all 32 of the NFL’s teams, there will also be a special Fortnite-branded team that players can dress as, further tying the partnership between the two together – it’s not just NFL joining Fortnite, but also Fortnite joining with the NFL. Jersey numbers 1-99 will be available for further customisation for players.

It’s exciting to see more interactions between sports and gaming. Recently, there have been huge numbers of collaborations when it comes to European football and the EA Sports FIFA series, as well as NBA and 2K or NFL and Madden. Typically, though, those interactions will be between a team and its corresponding esports team, so it’s great that the NFL has been able to see a different kind of the partnership with Fortnite for what it is: a great opportunity to engage with fans and a new audience.

Another example of a team / league getting more out of the partnership than the brand they're working with?

Fortnite's audience is more valuable to the NFL than the NFL's is to Fortnitehttps://t.co/uCLadDYjfs

— Chris McMullan (@CJMcMullan_) November 5, 2018

Indeed, recently Manchester City and Tinder activated their partnership by putting the football team and their players into the the dating app with a video produced by the club. Angry Birds, too, have been busy with partnerships in the sporting world.

These partnerships are an intriguing new trend where the audience of the games – i.e. young and tech savvy – are the target audience of the clubs. Usually, it’s brands who are targeting the passionate and loyal audiences of the clubs, but this turns it on its head once again.