Puma signs deal to showcase products and branding in Football Superstars online game

Puma has signed a deal with online game Football Superstars for its products and branding to appear in the game.

CyberSport, which is launching the game, says it is the first of a number of deals it hopes to sign before the game goes live in September.

Football Superstars, a “massively multiplayer online game” (MMOG), will be free to download and aims to recreate the game of football and the accompanying luxury lifestyle.

Players create a footballer avatar to enter a virtual world. The character has to be played to improve, but as they do so, the more money and transfer deals are offered.

Puma has created a virtual football boot, the v1.08 Speed Boot for Football Superstars, and gamers can also visit a facsimile of the brand’s flagship store in Carnaby Street.

Cybersports chief executive Malcolm Clark says he is in talks with around 30 brands from a variety of sectors, including clothing brands. He adds it is possible for brands to integrate their own e-commerce systems so that players can buy actual products, as well as virtual ones in the game’s two virtual towns.

Some brands have discussed the idea of test marketing virtual products within the game with a view to launching actual versions, if successful online.