Sorare

Sorare is a fantasy game of soccer, where players buy, sell, trade, and manage a virtual team with digital player cards. The game uses blockchain technology based on Ethereum and was developed in 2018 by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort.

Sorare
Developer(s)Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort
Publisher(s)Sorare
Release2019
Genre(s)Sports management game

Concept

Players, as managers, compose virtual teams of five soccer players, from blockchain cards on the Sorare platform. Teams are ranked based, on the performance of their players on the real-world soccer pitch, and attributed points. Cards vary in power and experience and can generate bonus points. Every week, when a real-world soccer team is playing a game, the teams with the most points are rewarded with new cards.

Managers can buy and sell their cards to other managers on the Sorare platform, with market prices varying continuously, often driven by the performance of players on the real-world pitch. Some of the cards are licensed digital collectibles (rare, super-rare and unique cards). The use of blockchain technology means that Sorare's cards are limited edition digital collectibles that gamers can freely trade and use.

The cards on the Sorare platform are traded through an auction mechanism. When there is a higher bid on a card, users who have lower bid on the card are re-credited and get notified. The bidder who offers the highest price gets the card at the end.[1]

Development

Sorare operates on Ethereum's underlying blockchain network to secure the ownership and distribution of cards. The supply of cards is limited and cards cannot be altered, duplicated, or deleted. Each player card is represented as a non-fungible token (NFT) using the ERC-721 token standard on Ethereum. Each player card is unique and is owned personally by the gamer, validated through the blockchain, allowing its value to appreciate or depreciate based on the market.

The licensing partnerships Sorare signs with leagues, such as the K League and clubs such as Atlético Madrid, allows the Sorare cards to have the official branding with the season's player photos and player names.

Sorare announced its first licensing partnership with the Belgian Jupiler Pro League in October 2018.[2]

In May 2019, shortly after the launch of the beta of the game, the company announced a pre-seed round of EUR 550k including the technology entrepreneur Xavier Niel.[3]

Sorare raised ̰̰̯USD 4 million in July 2020 with German football World Cup champion André Schürrle, among others.[4] They are also backed by UbiSoft, E-Ventures & Consensys.[5]

Clubs

As of 16 January 2021, 108 clubs are present in the game in total.[6] This marks an increase of over 50 additional club sides compared with that in March. A total of 30 clubs from Major League Soccer clubs are without license.[6] Sorare has instead signed a deal with the Major League's Players Association, meaning portraits of every player with the kits of those teams appear in the game except the image rights of MLS and its clubs.[7]

The Belgian Jupiler Pro League has licensed Sorare.[8]

References
  1. "What is Sorare? How to Play Sorare? Beginners Guide". Dappgrid. 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  2. "Sorare, le jeu de simulation qui marie foot et cryptomonnaies". Les Echos (French daily newspaper) (in French). 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  3. "Xavier Niel investit dans l'une des pépites françaises de la blockchain". Les Echos (French daily newspaper) (in French). 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  4. Coulter, Martin. "Fantasy soccer startup Sorare nets $4 million in a funding round backed by German striker Andre Schurrle". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  5. "SoRare Review: What is it? How does Sorare work?". Football Index Analysis. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  6. "FAQ/Clubs".
  7. "MLSPA Players Meet Blockchain on Sorare Fantasy Soccer Game". MLS Players Association. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  8. "Pro League extends Sorare partnership". www.proleague.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-10-26.
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