A closer look at SPRIBE’s knockout deal with the UFC and star fighter Alex Pereira

SPRIBE is the studio behind Aviator, the number one crash game in the world. Off the back of the game’s incredible success – it’s played by more than 10 million people each month – the developer has been able to sign a fight-card topping partnership with the UFC as it looks to introduce the game to players in North America for the first time.

As part of the deal, SPRIBE gains access to the UFC’s athletes and has just announced a marketing campaign with current Light Heavyweight Champion, Alex Pereira. We sat down with Giorgi Tsutskiridze, CCO at SPRIBE to learn more.

You’ve just announced a major partnership with UFC Champion and Brazilian MMA legend, Alex Pereira. Tell us more about this deal.

We are super excited to have welcomed Alex as a brand ambassador for Aviator, our flagship title and the number one crash game in the world with more than 10 million players per month. Alex is one of the most storied fighters in the MMA and one of only nine to hold titles across two weight divisions – he’s currently Light Heavyweight Champion and is the former Middleweight Champion. He is high profile and has a loyal fanbase that we believe will enjoy the knock-out experience that Aviator has to offer. To help drive awareness of Aviator among his fans and those who follow the UFC, Alex will be taking part in a series of creative campaigns over the coming months.

How did the deal with Alex happen? Do you have an existing relationship with the UFC?

We do. Back in October last year we announced a partnership between SPRIBE and the UFC. The multi-year agreement sees the Aviator logo and branding appear during the UFC’s Fight Nights and Pay Per View events inside the Octagon. It also includes a brand ambassador fund that allows us to access UFC athletes such as Alex to promote Aviator in various ways. This is the first of its kind deal between a game studio and a top-tier sports organisation and we have some really exciting plans to maximise the potential this collaboration provides for all parties.

The UFC has a global fanbase, but it is especially popular in North America. Does the deal with the UFC and Alex suggest SPRIBE is going after this market?

North America has been on our radar for some time now. We are going to great lengths to bring Aviator to as many players as possible in regulated markets around the world. We have a strong presence in Europe, Asia and Africa, and over the coming 12 months will focus efforts on North and South America. The partnership with the UFC will catapult Aviator into the mainstream, in the US and the other global markets on our radar so that when we do go live in each, we already have significant awareness. As you say, the UFC is a global sport, so we also see it as helping boost Aviator’s profile across the world.

We are seeing more and more casino companies sponsor sports events, teams and organisations. What’s the opportunity here?

Sports audiences are incredibly broad and there is a lot of cross-over from sports and sports betting to online casino play. This is certainly the case with Aviator as its roots are in mobile and video gaming, making it appeal to a much wider player demographic than traditional casino and slot games. Aviator has a high percentage of Millennial and Generation Z players, and these are the people watching fight sports such as the UFC and indeed other sports such as Formula One, football, snooker and so on. Sports attract huge global audiences, so there’s a big opportunity to get your brand or in our case, game, in front of millions of potential players in a way that is authentic.

Aviator has become something of a phenomenon since it made its debut in 2018. What’s been key to its success?

Aviator was the first casino game to be based on the popular crash game format found in video and mobile gaming. It was starting to be embraced by the crypto-gambling community, a space the team at SPRIBE has been closely watching. We decided to take a risk and build a casino game based on this format, tweaking the gameplay so that it delivered a seamless experience on mobile and could be rolled out by casino operators in regulated markets around the world. We also brought in elements that would make it stand out in casino lobbies, such as it being multiplayer and players being able to chat with each other throughout their playing session.

Ultimately, Aviator is a simple game but this is what makes it so fun and thrilling, and why more than 10 million players a month take flight and put their nerve to the test against the increasing win multiplier.