2022 Nov, 09
Abu Dhabi, UAE
EX Sports has been the exclusive blockchain partner of the Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) since 2019 when it presented its first use case of how blockchain technology could be harnessed to build stronger fan engagement in the sport. Just three years later, the partnership is blooming and now ready to move to the next level following a very successful Ju-Jitsu 2022 World Championship.
When EX Sports first presented its use case for the role of blockchain in sport at the SportAccord 2019 Conference on Australia’s Gold Coast and to the Executive Board of the IOC, it was still a very new topic that only a handful of people really understood. Everything changed in 2021, however, when the crypto and NFT market exploded.
Now, just one year later, over 50% of the athletes participating at the Ju-Jitsu 2022 World Championship were not only aware of NFTs but also eager to have their own NFT. EX Sports once again gave all of the athletes participating in the event the opportunity to mint and publish their own NFTs on the newly established EX Sports market place. Fans who registered were also able to enjoy free access to the live stream for the Ju-Jitsu 2022 World Championship, which took place over 10 days from the 29th of October to the 8th of November at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and attracted 2,000 participating athletes from 120 countries.
EX Sports also further strengthened its role in supporting the development of ju-jitsu by partnering with Smash Mountain Studios, developers of the first ju-jitsu video game, which has achieved 400,000 downloads and attracts thousands of players every day. Fans and athletes had the chance to participate in daily eSports tournaments organized by EX Sports, the JJIF and Smash Mountain Studios during the Championship.
This partnership between EX Sports and Smash Mountain Studios is expected to continue growing in 2023 with the launch of the official Ju-Jitsu eSports league in the build-up to the World Combat Games 2023 in Saudi Arabia. As the exclusive blockchain partner of Smash Mountain Studios, EX Sports is also set to play a key role in developing the existing game from web2 to web3 technology. Provided they minted their NFTs on the EX Sports Market Place, the gold medalists from this year’s Ju-Jitsu 2022 World Championship will become in-game characters in the next game version which will be released in 2023. The launch of an exclusive NFT series related to the game is also expected to be announced soon.