Inside Verizon’s Fortnite Super Bowl stadium

Where can you find young people during the Super Bowl? Fortnite.

R/GA and Momentum teamed up on a campaign for Verizon that brings Raymond James stadium to life in Fortnite to unite fans in a safe way for the Super Bowl. 

The virtual stadium, which can fit 50 people in the game lobby simultaneously, will allow gamers to participate in virtual meet-and-greets with avatars of NFL players, including Saquon Barkley of the  NY Giants; Joey Bosa of the  LA Chargers; Tua Tagovailoa of the  Miami Dolphins; JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ryan Shazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers; Tarik Cohen of the Chicago Bears and DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.  

Previously the creative section of Fortnite only allowed 16 players in the lobby. 

Gamers can also play exclusive mini-games with the NFL players, who helped develop the games. 

“We wanted to create a place where everyone could still come together virtually,” said David Yankelewitz, ECD at R/GA. “Even though it's a pandemic year and things are weird, we can still have that sense of community for the Super Bowl.” 

Fans who don’t play Fortnite can engage with NFL players on a Twitch livestream hosted by Verizon and gamers Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, on Friday February 5 at 7pm EST. 

The idea of the campaign is to show off what 5G can do so people can understand how it impacts them in real life, said Tiffany Rolfe, global chief creative officer R/GA.

“A big part of demonstrating 5G is making people understand what it means for them, because we can talk about how great it is but if it doesn't actually impact people, they won't get it,” she said. “Lag is a big thing for gamers. It affects [their] gameplay. This is a way to show off what 5G can mean for people.” 

Verizon is also extending its 5G show into the real world. The telco has enabled 5G at Raymond James stadium, allowing fans with an iPhone 12 to engage with seven different camera angles while in the stadium, and five angles at home within Verizon's 5G SuperStadium in the NFL app. App users will also be able to see AR overlays of the NFL’s Next Gen Stats for players. 

Verizon will also be producing an after-party livestream concert with host Tiffany Haddish and featuring performances by Alicia Keys, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Christina Aguilera, Eric Church, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Luke Bryan and Miley Cyrus and will donate $10 million to non-profit LISC in support of small businesses.