Wimbledon Launches on Fortnite amid Ongoing Push into Digital Activations and Experiences

The All England Lawn Tennis Club has today announced its entry to online gaming platform Fortnite, with the launch of Race to Wimbledon. The announcement is accompanied by an array of digital experiences for Wimbledon fans that have been released today, including new features on its Roblox experience WimbleWorld, a new gamified tennis app Wimbledon Smash, and a collaboration with leading mobile game Tennis Clash.  

Players of Race to Wimbledon – which is presented in partnership with American Express – will run, drive, parkour and fly past London landmarks, including Big Ben and the London Eye, through Wimbledon village and past Andy Murray’s golden letterbox, navigating around larger-than-life obstacles such as giant strawberries and tennis rackets, to make it to Wimbledon’s Centre Court in the fastest time. As well as on all the usual devices, Race to Wimbledon will be available to play on-site throughout The Championships at the American Express Fan Experience in the Southern Village. As part of the experience, players are challenged to beat the time of American Express ambassador Andy Murray and post their time to social media.  

Entry into Fortnite is part of Wimbledon’s ongoing expansion into the digital sphere, evolving the heritage brand beyond traditional expectations. Commenting on the strategy behind the digital activations, Chris Clements, digital products lead at the All England Club, said: “The magic of Wimbledon has reached many generations of fans in every corner of the world. With changes in the way people consume content and interact with sports events, it is important that we find new ways to reach them and convey what makes Wimbledon so special. We believe this range of initiatives, including Race to Wimbledon, will help us achieve this ambition.” 

In 2022, the All England Club launched WimbleWorld on metaverse platform Roblox, receiving more than 12 million visits. With more than 80% of users aged under 24, WimbleWorld remains one of the most visited official sports experiences on Roblox. Building on 2022’s success, new additions to excite players on WimbleWorld will be rolled out from Tuesday June 27th onwards. These include the Lawn of Champions, where players can try their hand at preparing the famous grass courts of SW19, by mowing and painting the lines on the courts. There is also a treasure hunt where players can earn a hawk to sit on the shoulder of their avatar across all Roblox experiences. Live scores will feature in the experience, in a first for Roblox. 

New for 2023, Wimbledon has rebranded and updated its gamified tennis experience app, now known as Wimbledon Smash. The Wimbledon Smash game sees players control a racket to ‘serve’ a tennis ball and break as many bricks as possible, with rain, wind and surprise items affecting the game. The app features a year-round 'campaign' mode, where players can train and progress through different levels. On July 3rd, a Championships mode will be launched in line with the commencement of the Wimbledon Fortnight. Those who reach the top 10 on the leaderboard will be eligible to win prizes such as semi-final tickets for The Championships 2024 and a range of items from the Wimbledon Shop. For the first time, Wimbledon is giving fans the opportunity to have their name displayed just feet away from the famous Centre Court, as the Wimbledon Smash leaderboard will be shown on screens around the Grounds between July 3rd and 16th. Fans simply need to register within the game to have this opportunity.   

During The Championships, fans can also take part in Wimbledon season on Tennis Clash, the world’s most popular tennis mobile gaming app. Players will be dressed in a special white match kit and be able to take to the famous grass of Centre Court. 

Usama Al-Qassab, marketing & commercial director at the All England Club, commented: "The scale of Fortnite and Roblox with more than 200 million players each, and the enjoyment these players experience through digital initiatives like Race to Wimbledon and WimbleWorld, will help Wimbledon reach new audiences in even more immersive ways than ever before." 

For further information and to take part, please visit here.