Golf is a huge thing in our space lately, with the PGA Tour holding its first-ever Creator Classic, golf-focused creators like Bryson DeChambeau (who played a round with Trump to promote the latter’s presidential campaign) getting their moments in the spotlight, and the sport as a whole crushing it on YouTube. Gaming and entertainment brand Topgolf is teeing off with this trend: It’s partnered with Fortnite and a handful of creators to introduce a custom branded map.
Branded Fortnite maps are also a huge thing, with brands like Chipotle (always at the forefront of the latest creator-embracing wave), Balenciaga, the NFL, Verizon, Timex, Whataburger, and, most recently, Twitch, in partnership with Peloton and Domino’s, building their own custom experiences within the game. Branded maps–aka islands–are a way for companies and orgs to promote to younger demographics, since Fortnite‘s playerbase skews toward kids.
Topgolf, which makes over $4 billion a year from 80 sports park locations across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, isn’t necessarily just after a young audience, though. Its island is modeled after its real-life locations, where people come to smack balls out of its all-weather driving bays, play some of its house-developed, golf-themed video games, take lessons, have parties, and drink beer all the while.
OK, so there’s no beer in Topgolf’s Fortnite experience, but there is a model Topgolf location that’s packed with pretty high-skill games. In one, players become the ball, directing themself against the laws of gravity to get a hole-in-one. Another game promises to “push creative limits” of Fortnite‘s Unreal Engine. Yet another is a mini golf speedrun course that tours players through glitzy course in Santa Monica, Bangkok, Dubai, and Las Vegas.
“At Topgolf, we’re always seeking for ways to connect people through play, and our collaboration with Fortnite is the perfect way to bring the fun of Topgolf to the virtual world,” Geoff Cottrill, Topgolf’s Chief Brand Officer, said in a statement. “This map is designed to deliver the same excitement and energy you experience at one of our venues. We can’t wait to see how players come together to enjoy the game in a whole new way!”
To promote the map, Topgolf tapped pro Fortnite players Bugha (5.5 million followers on Twitch), Clix (7.8 million), Nate Hill (1.6 million), and Kazify (962K on YouTube) to play it on launch, and stream their gameplay live across Twitch and YouTube. All four creators have codes to give away to their audiences that give $15 off gameplay at brick-and-mortar Topgolf locations in the U.S.
Topgolf says its island was developed in partnership with Zoned, a full-service marketing agency owned by esports-savvy digital media company GameSquare Holdings. Carlos Tovar, Zoned’s President, said, “We’ve loved bringing Topgolf to life in Fortnite. What we’ve created is a memorable, engaging experience for gamers by merging traditional sports with the digital world–authentically bringing Topgolf into players’ living rooms. At Zoned, we believe projects like this show the potential of immersive branded content and how it can deliver value for both brands and gamers alike.”
Zoned said it expects the Topgolf x Fortnite project, plus similar partnerships with “leading global sports, media, and entertainment companies,” will generate “over $3 million in revenue” for it.
As for what Topgolf is getting out of this, the brand clearly has an eye on digital content, knows that gamers can be just as passionate about virtual versions of IRL sports, and knows that creators are the way to reach audiences of all ages.
