Hello hello!

Welcome to Edition #56 of The SEG3 Report.

Today we’ll be delving into PlayStation’s new live music event, The Concert, and how it could be a key contributor to keeping old game titles alive while building momentum for whatever’s next.

Also on the radar: a look at the NFL & NetApp’s data infrastructure play + Futureverse’s acquisition of Candy Digital, and the sports & entertainment IP they now have access to.

Enjoy!

Contents: Edition #56

• PlayStation launch Video Game Music concert experience

• NFL partner with NetApp to deliver innovation in Data Infrastructure 

• Futureverse acquires Candy Digital

PlayStation Launch ‘The Concert’

PlayStation has kicked off ‘The Concert,’ a global tour that debuted in Dublin this past weekend, bringing iconic game soundtracks from the likes of The Last of Us, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon to life through a live orchestral experience.

Why should you care?

TL;DR: The Concert taps into nostalgia and gives PlayStation a new touchpoint to engage with existing fans, but also provides a soft-entry for new audiences into their ecosystem. The opportunities to drive new revenue, create new content and collaborate with the wider Sony ecosystem through The Concert are sizeable, so it offers strong potential for PlayStation to expand and solidify its place in broader pop culture.

In full: If you’ve played a PlayStation game, or any game for that matter, over the past couple of decades, chances are there’s a track, or maybe even a full playlist, that’s wormed its way into your daily listening.

For me, it’s still the FIFA 13 and 14 tracks. Songs that take me right back to after-school tournaments with friends. It’s certainly nostalgia. Frankly, it’s almost muscle memory.

And that’s exactly what PlayStation are aiming to tap into with this latest move.

They’re taking the soundtracks of their most iconic titles and turning them into a live orchestral experience. It’s called PlayStation - The Concert.

Cool? Absolutely.
Smart? Undeniably.
But can it help to world-build? That’s where it starts to get interesting.

This of course isn’t PlayStation’s first rodeo to extend its world beyond the console. HBO’s The Last of Us series was a hit. Uncharted made it to cinemas. Gran Turismo got a film too. There are upcoming adaptations for Horizon (film) and God of War (live-action series). But those were more about translating a story to a different format.

This is different. It’s not about new plots, characters or narratives. It’s about leaning further into how the games made players feel and creating a music experience that lets people relive it together.

And it feels incredibly timely by PlayStation.

Gaming is no longer on the fringes of pop culture. It’s right in the middle. And with the PlayStation 2 generation now being between 25-40, with disposable income and a deep emotional connection to these franchises, which is why The Concert offers:

• New ticketable IP
  → the concerts themselves become a fresh revenue stream (with tickets priced between £35-£60 per seat)
  

• Merch and exclusives 

  → there’s likely an opportunity to commemorate each show with city-specific merch/collectibles
  

• Content
  → as you can see from the trailer above, the production of the show could well be a mine for new content itself (i.e. a documentary etc)
  

• Building Fandom
  → another way to deepen fan connection and build culture around the brand and their IPs

All of which helps to grow the PlayStation world into something bigger, more immersive and stickier.

And with the ecosystem that PlayStation has access to through the Sony Umbrella - like Sony Music, Sony Pictures & Crunchyroll - The Concert has potential to become a core part of the franchise building flywheel.

A little something like:

It’s all feeding back into the same loop, so a new experience or touchpoint like The Concert can be a key contributor to keeping old titles alive while building momentum for whatever’s next.

However, it’s role is not purely to drive re-engagement; it also creating new ways in.

Reasonably priced, entertaining music events can create a soft entry point into, or back into, their ecosystem. Parents can bring kids. Long-lost fans can be tempted to return. Hardcore players can share their passion with partners or friends who’ve never picked up a controller. It really takes the fun, nostalgia and shared experience of playing online with friends into real-life.

And that bridging of worlds is hugely valuable.

So kudos to PlayStation for kicking it all off in Dublin. It’s a smart move that not only broadens the reach of its IPs, but helps to embed the PlayStation brand deeper into lifestyle and culture.

And Coca-Cola, Premier League, Warner Bros & more will be on stage at SEG3 London talking about how they’re building fandom and marketing through games, music & more.

See the full lineup for June 10-11 and get in on the action!

Use code TS3R20 for 20% off your pass – but hurry, Super Early Bird tickets end on April 30th! 👇

NFL partner with NetApp to deliver innovation in Data Infrastructure

The NFL has named NetApp as its Official Intelligent Data Infrastructure Partner, with the partnership aiming to enhance the NFL's data management capabilities, improving operations, security and innovation. NetApp will also sponsor the 2025 NFL London Games and the inaugural NFL Madrid Game.

Why should you care?

TL;DR: Data is the new oil, right? And many sports organisations are beginning to see the long-term commercial value that the right data strategy and infrastructure can offer. With this partnership, the NFL’s goal will likely be to further personalise fan experiences and have concrete, in-depth data on their fanbase to increase leverage in future negotiations with broadcasters, sponsors and tech providers. If executed well (and that of course won’t happen overnight), it lays the groundwork for the league to scale and enhance its digital products as it expands globally.

In full: Every major league has access to a huge amount of data, but most don’t have the correct systems in place to really take advantage of it.

According to PTI’s benchmark report (which we covered in Edition #31), more than half of UK rights-holders are commercialising less than 10 percent of their databases. Only 10 percent say they can get meaningful insight from customer data, and just 36 percent plan to spend more than £500,000 on technology in the next 12 months. At the same time, 40 percent believe direct-to-consumer digital products hold major revenue potential in the next five years. That gap is telling.

This deal plugs that gap for the NFL, helping them to put the kind of unified infrastructure in place needed to actually understand and monetise their data in a more sophisticated way.

And of course, the more effectively the NFL manages and activates its data, the more leverage it holds in future conversations with broadcasters, sponsors and tech providers (like NetApp), and the better it can localise and scale its digital products like NFL+ and Game Pass.

So although the partnership will likely come with concessions in it from an upfront dollar perspective for the NFL, being more heavy on services being provided from NetApp, I’d say the long-term value that can be generated from having first-class data management will far outweigh the sponsorship differential.

And it’s that kind of long-term thinking that keeps the NFL as one of the world’s most valuable brands.

Futureverse acquires Candy Digital

Futureverse has acquired Candy Digital, a web3 business best known for their partnerships with MLB, Netflix and DC Comics. The acquisition will focus on integrating Candy's digital collectibles ecosystem into Futureverse's blockchain infrastructure, The Root Network.

Why should you care?

TL;DR: Futureverse acquires Candy Digital, and now have access to a number of high-profile IP from across sports & entertainment through their licensing agreements. With Futureverse focusing on building the infrastructure to support next-gen fan experiences, and Candy having access to 1.5m customer accounts, it sounds a smart crossover.

In full: A meaningful move in the web3 x sports space this week from a name that likely rings a bell with a few of you.

Futureverse, a company focused on AI, immersive experiences and blockchain infrastructure, has acquired Candy Digital, a brand that helped shape the early intersection of web3 and sports.

Candy launched with support from Fanatics, MLB and several high-profile investors, and was probably best known for their focus on digital collectibles and partnerships with major leagues, but momentum faded slightly as the markets cooled, resulting in Fanatics divesting their investment, with Michael Rubin saying:

Despite that, Candy still undoubtedly has a valuable combination of licensing rights, production capabilities and existing relationships with leagues and entertainment properties, along with 1.5m customer accounts, all of which can help an infrastructure business like Futureverse to accelerate their vision of powering next-generation fan experiences.

Aaron McDonald, Co-Founder and CEO, Futureverse, said:

So as leagues and entertainment brands look to unlock more value from their audiences and take back control of the relationship with their fans, it’ll be interesting to follow along to see how Futureverse tries to make that a reality with MLB, DC Comics & the rest of Candy’s partner portfolio.

In other news this week…

• SEGA & Universal team up for OutRun film: read here.

• WWE comes to Fortnite before Wrestlemania 41: read here.

• Fortnite to launch Star Wars themed season on May 2nd: read here.

• Rematch, an arcade style soccer game, reaches 1.3m+ for beta: read here.

• Legendary & Amazon to adapt Pacific Rim IP for Amazon Prime: read here.

• SailGP launch SailGP+, a revamped loyalty & rewards program: read here.

• MrBeast Gaming returns to YouTube: see here.

• WWE uses Proto Hologram for Tiffany Stratton’s Wrestlemania 41 entrance: read here.

• MLS & TikTok renew multiyear agreement: read here.

• Juventus release new content series, Extreme Fields: see here.

• Vans drop Premium Old Skool, Slip-On, Sk8-Hi & Authentic lines into Fortnite: read here.

Working on anything cool, or have a press release you would like us to cover? Send it in for the chance for it to be covered in next week’s edition!

That’s all for now folks - thanks again for reading the latest edition of The SEG3 Report and if you found it of interest, do consider sharing with a friend!