Rec Room announced it’s partnering with the National Football League (NFL) to bring a host of officially licensed virtual merch to the social VR platform.

Kicking off today, Rec Room will feature a new NFL pop-up shop where users can buy NFL-licensed virtual hoodies and hats, which includes all 32 NFL teams.

Although we were hoping for an official NFL football mini-game too, the studio says its’ also launching a photobooth in the platform’s ‘Rec Center’ hub which will also let fans show off their NFL-licensed gear by snapping a few photos for social.

The platform has played host to similar events in the past, with an NBA event last year bringing team jerseys and branded basketballs to the platform. More recently, Rec Room signed a deal with Mattel to release avatar items based on the world of Masters of the Universe.

Rec Room now boasts over 82 million lifetime users, which is in part thanks to the fact that it’s free to download across basically all major platforms, including mobile, PC, console, standalone VR and PC VR.

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This, combined with a $3.5 billion valuation thanks to over $294 million in outside funding to date, has undoubtedly allowed the company to expand its selection of first-party mini-games, which include activities such as paintball, offroad racing, co-op dungeons, and more.

Moreover, the studio has since monetized its free-to-play app with the addition of premium paid memberships, which unlocks the ability for users to not only earn in-game currency by creating and selling items, but also convert it into actual cash. The platform’s premium users create things like rooms, gadgets, avatar items, and mini-games—all of it designed to pull in users and get them spending in app’s in-game currency.

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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • sfmike

    Oh boy! Another way for billionaires to make money off their hobby of owning sports franchises.

    • Zantetsu

      That’s a juvenile take to be honest. It’s a product, if people value it more than the money it takes to buy it, then trading the money for the thing is a win for both parties. It doesn’t really matter who makes the thing.

      Unless you feel entitled enough to believe that you should decide who gets to create products and who gets to buy them.

      • sebtatu

        Awesome response. don’t bother, though, That is how every socialist think.

  • ViRGiN

    PCVR killer app is only getting better.

  • Ad

    I hope AI generation kills off the idea of metaverse collectables.