The Australian Open and US Open have announced a unique collaboration between AO Adventure and Champions of the Court, the two Grand Slam’s respective experiences on Roblox, a global immersive platform for communication and connection.
‘AO Adventure’ is an immersive digital experience that enables users to explore the world of the Australian Open while completing challenges and earning prizes. Since launching in January this year, ‘AO Adventure’ has clocked more than 12 million sessions and continues to average around 17,000 visits a day.
In the lead up to this year’s main draw in New York, the US Open launched its own immersive experience on Roblox, called ‘Champions of the Court’. The experience gives fans the chance to play matches and embark on treasure hunts with avatars of rising star Coco Gauff and legend Billie Jean King, as well as earn tokens to purchase in-experience items such as tennis racquets and balls.
The Cross Court Challenge which connects ‘AO Adventure’ and ‘Champions of the Court’ encourages users to pick up a racquet and travel between the distinctive digital worlds of the two Grand Slam tournaments. To complete the challenge and earn the chance to claim a wearable aura (UGC), users must defeat Coco Gauff in three matches and win three doubles matches alongside another real user to receive the unlock badge.
“We’re incredibly excited about this collaboration with the US Open which is another first for the Grand Slams and supports our shared objective to meaningfully shape the future of tennis and embrace innovation, while also upholding the sport’s rich history,” said Ridley Plummer, Tennis Australia’s Senior Manager Metaverse, NFT’s, Web3 and Cryptocurrency.
“’AO Adventure’ has already demonstrated how an engaging and accessible experience can introduce tennis to a new generation of fans, and keep the Australian Open and its partners relevant year-round. Over half of the visits to ‘AO Adventure’ have taken place since the Australian Open finished, extending its lifespan well beyond the traditional length of a few weeks in January.”
Brian Ryerson, Senior Director Digital Strategy at the United States Tennis Association, said ““Engaging new audiences and introducing them to the sport of tennis through the US Open is always a priority for us. That was the spirit behind launching ‘Champions of the Court’ on Roblox, and we believe collaborating with ‘AO Adventure’ will allow both the US Open and Australian Open to better reach and engage new fans globally with fun entry points into the sport.”
Marcus Holmström, CEO of The Gang which developed ‘AO Adventure’ says, “Bringing together two of the Grand Slam experiences for all the fans in Australia, the US and beyond has been an exciting project for The Gang. The ability for users to portal directly from one Grand Slam to the next is unique, and we hope that fans will enjoy the engaging and immersive experience that this latest game extension offers.”
This month, ‘AO Adventure’ will also launch a new mini-game called Tennis Ball Rain. ‘Tennis Ball Rain’ will see users engage in a race against the clock and each other, competing to collect tennis balls that rain from the sky. When users’ hands are full, they will race to deposit the balls in their designated bucket, with the user who has collected the most balls crowned the winner. Users will need to move quickly with other players able to steal balls during the game. The more users play and win at ‘Tennis Ball Rain’, the more badges they will earn.