The Australian Open Launches An Experience in Roblox

This season, Australian Open fans will be able to celebrate the new season in Web3 style thanks to its partnership with Roblox! The viral gaming platform is launching an immersive Metaverse experience called AO Adventure. There, users can explore the iconic Rod Laver Arena, meet digital avatars of iconic players such as Nick Kyrgios, and mint sports NFT collectibles!

image of two humanoid tennis players in the Australian Open Roblox game — This year’s Australian Open tournament comes with new Metaverse experiences in partnership with Roblox.

Australian Open x Roblox: How Does The AO Adventure Work?

Basically, AO Adventure is a digital experience powered by Roblox. The game celebrates the Australian Open Grand Slam tournament, set to begin on January 16th. When entering the game, players are first greeted by an avatar of Nick Kyrgios, one of the top stars of the tournament.

Accordingly, attendees can play single or double virtual tennis with friends or even with AI players. Users can level up and get rewards in the form of Freebies for each milestone.

In addition, Australian Open fans can also buy digital collectibles in the AO Shop section – all compatible with their Roblox avatars.

However, the top attraction is undoubtedly the digital version of the famous AO Ballpark introduced by Emirates. There, players can meet digital replicas of the Emirates Cabin Crew and complete tasks to win wearables.

The game is already available via Roblox and you can enjoy it with a free account on the platform!

image of a virtual entertainment area with games and parks within the AO23 experience — Players will be able to walk around, enjoy various games, and meet friends virtually.

What about the AO ArtBall NFTs within Decentraland?

Australian Open is no stranger to the NFT market. The iconic tournament launched its debut collectibles in 2022 under the name “AO ArtBall”. Each of the 6,776 NFTs represents a 17 x 17cm plot on a virtual court within AO Decentraland.

Of course, this offers fans a different experience than the Australian Open Roblox game. Put simply, every time a tennis ball lands on a virtual plot, its corresponding NFT updates to reveal the match data. Moreover, each holder might gain access to exclusive perks including real-life tickets to AO matches and wearables, among others.

For the 2023 Australian Open season, each AO ArtBall NFT to score a Match Point on the court can receive two tickets to its corresponding match in 2023. For example, if your ArtBall NFT scores a match in the Women’s Doubles Final this year, you’ll get tickets for the Women’s Doubles Final in the 2024 AO tournament.

digital replica of the Australian Open tennis court — Users can play tennis matches virtually against their real-life friends or compete against AI avatars.

Should AO22 NFT holders mint the AO23 collectibles too?

If you already own an AO22 collectible, you can still benefit from various perks. However, collectors owning both of the AO22 and AO23 Artball NFTs will receive a Membership Multiplier. Accordingly, this exclusive program ‘multiplies the membership benefits, or unlocks completely new benefits altogether.’

Starting January 12th, users can mint an AO23 ArtBall NFT on the official Australian Open NFT platform for 0.23 ETH per collectible.

This experience, along with their new partnership with Roblox, makes this year’s Australian Open tournament more exciting than ever!

“With more than 80% of users on the platform aged 25-and-under, it’s also a great platform for us to connect with younger fans, who we hope will be inspired to visit the AO in person one day after experiencing what the AO has to offer, beyond tennis,” added Senior Web3 Manager at Tennis Australia, Ridley Plummer.