Combining one of the biggest sports licenses with one of the strongest launches of a blockchain game in 2025 thus far, Mythical Games’ FIFA Rivals has announced over one million mobile downloads.
So the perfect opportunity to ask CEO John Linden some questions about the game, the reaction of players to some of its more surprising features, and what’s next.
What’s the early reaction been to FIFA Rivals?
John Linden: The early reaction has been amazing. It’s already become one of the top-performing web3 games in terms of active users. We’ve seen over a million players jump in, with thousands engaging daily in on-chain activity. What’s most exciting is that between the game itself and culturally resonant partnerships like the one we have with adidas, it’s a very mainstream crowd.
The game feels more NFT-focused than NFL Rivals. Is that by design?
Yes, essentially, FIFA Rivals is built on many of the learnings from NFL Rivals, but we also wanted to push the boundaries further here. We had an opportunity to test deeper integration of digital ownership mechanics right out of the gate, given FIFA’s global appeal and our expectations on the secondary market it would command.
It’s still free-to-play at its core, but we made a conscious effort to give onchain assets more presence in the moment-to-moment gameplay and progression. So yeah, more NFT-focused by design, but still very much balanced and accessible.
Have you seen much crossover between NFL Rivals and FIFA Rivals players?
We’re starting to see it, and that’s exciting. One of our big long-term goals at Mythical is interoperability — both in terms of identity and value. We’ve got players who cut their teeth in NFL Rivals and are now getting into FIFA, and we’re looking at ways to make that transition feel more seamless, even rewarding. The ability to move value across games in the form of tokens or status is a direction we’re very committed to exploring.
We’re also seeing this play out in an interesting way geographically, with players in countries where the NFL isn’t represented heavily, now dicing into NFL Rivals and vice versa, because there’s now more exposure after coming into the Mythical gaming ecosystem
The game is fairly aggressive in terms of the Contract/fuel concept. Has there been any kickback against that?
We’ve definitely heard feedback, which we welcome — it’s part of how we iterate. The Contract mechanic is designed to reinforce the value of owned players and ensure a consistent strategy and flow in team-building decisions. However, we’re watching closely to ensure it doesn’t feel punitive.
This is one of those areas where we’re finding the proper balance, constantly monitoring, tuning and adjusting based on data and community input.
What’s been the limitations in terms of getting football player rights for the game? How do you expect to expand the library over time?
Any time you’re working with real-world athletes and global federations, there’s a complex licensing landscape.
With FIFA and FIFPro, we’ve got access to a strong set of players out of the gate, and we’re already expanding that through additional rights deals, signing clubs and leagues as we speak, with the goal of an inclusive game featuring all the leagues, countries, clubs, and players.
You’ll see more legends, national team icons, and club players roll out as we go.
The use of Fragments as rewards that encourage new players into the marketplace, while also allowing whales to flex is a clever move. Where did the inspiration come from?
We’ve been thinking a lot about scalable, sustainable web3 economies — how to create systems that aren’t just for top spenders but also invite casual players to engage meaningfully. Because everyone wants something mythical, right?
To acquire the rarest items in the game, but in interesting and incentivizing ways that still benefit the secondary economy. Fragments came out of that thinking.
We looked at traditional free-to-play crafting mechanics and asked: what does this look like onchain? How can a newer player work their way toward premium items, while giving advanced players a way to unlock higher-tier flexes?
It’s a win-win dynamic that supports the whole player base.
Find out more at the FIFA Rivals website.
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