The Sacramento Kings are partnering with MGM Resorts International and Xperiel to upgrade Call the Shot, the NBA’s first free-to-play gaming experience. Call the Shot is available for fans within the Fan Zone of the award-winning, dual-mode Sacramento Kings + Golden 1Center app.
Call the Shot allows fans to predict the outcomes of game quarters, player performance as well as interact with their favorite NBA team – all while offering in-app prize opportunities with no purchase required to participate. Featuring MGM Resorts as its premier gaming sponsor, Call the Shot is the first mobile offering from an NBA team that offers high-frequency predictive gaming to fans.
“We are committed to exploring new ways that technology can be used to engage with fans as they consume and interact with the game,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “The future is experiential and we are proud to lead the way in continuing to redefine the fan experience with this innovative and interactive platform.”
“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with the Kings to become their exclusive presenting partner for the Call the Shot game,” said MGM Resorts International President of Interactive Gaming Scott Butera. “MGM Resorts looks forward to this unique opportunity to innovate free-to-play gaming and provide fans with a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.”
“When we first started working with the Kings a few years ago, Vivek Ranadivé had the vision that any predictive gaming experience we create together should have a Vegas-like gaming feel without the actual wagering,” said Xperiel CEO and co-founder Alex Hertel. “It is thrilling to see what we’ve built under Vivek’s guidance and look forward to continuing to work with the Kings and other NBA teams to create immersive digital fan experiences and drive sports technology innovation with our Real World Web platform.”
Fans utilizing Call the Shot can make real-time predictions on shooting percentage, top scoring teams, top scoring players, which team will have the highest rebounds and more. These predictions can be made before the game and during each quarter, with correct guesses awarded virtual credits that can be used for in-app prize opportunities or to continue playing until the end of the game.
Virtual credits won in the Xperiel activations can only be redeemed in the Sacramento Kings + Golden 1 Center app, are non-transferable and have no monetary value. During the game, successful fans playing both at the arena and at home will have their names appear on the leaderboard within the app and then projected onto the 4K Ultra HD videoboard, VSP SKEYE View, at Golden 1 Center. After the game, fans can use virtual credits for in-app prize opportunities. Prizes may include a wide selection of autographed Kings gear and game tickets. Season-length grand prizes will be fulfilled through a partnership between Xperiel and Amazon.
MGM Resorts, which signed a multi-year long-term partnership agreement with the NBA in July, is participating as the league’s official gaming partner, providing prizes and helping to create an exciting, Vegas-like experience for app users. MGM Resorts seized the opportunity to extend its commitment to the growth of the NBA by partnering with the Kings, the first NBA team to provide a more immersive free-to-play gamified app-based experience for fans both at Golden 1 Center and those watching remotely.
Call the Shot is the result of a multiyear partnership between Xperiel and the Kings. Previously, Kings fans have used “Photo in the Plaza” through the team’s proprietary mobile app to post selfies that appear on the arena’s exterior screens and catch virtual basketballs via an augmented reality prize cannon.
In addition to its partnership with the Kings, Xperiel is partnering with Amazon to fulfill delivery of season grand prizes – which may include a Microsoft XBox ‘One S’ with NBA 2K18, a Sonos PLAY:1 sound system and an Amazon Echo Show – directly to winners’ homes.
Image courtesy Sacramento Kings.
