We’ve seen video game publishers sponsor a football team before. Sega & Nintendo have been doing it in Europe for years, and even the Xbox 360 is in on the act. But I can’t remember ever seeing a game sponsor a team.
https://kotaku.com/wear-your-360-fanboy-heart-on-your-sleeve-5102237
Yes, Pro Evo sponsored Lazio for a game last year, but that was a one-off. A stunt. They weren’t the actual sponsors of the team. But for the 2009/10 season, English club Swindon Town will be sponsored by EA Sports‘ FIFA 10, with the game’s title splashed across the front of their away kit.
https://kotaku.com/video-game-to-sponsor-pro-football-team-5101169
Sure, Swindon Town aren’t exactly a continental power in the game – they play in England’s League 1, which is actually the nation’s third division – but it still leaves us pondering a very important point: will purchasers of FIFA 10 boot up their game to suddenly find lowly Swindon Town have been transformed by their sponsors into a digital footballing powerhouse?
Because it’d be kind of cool if they were.
