The Annual: Sorare 2023 Year in Review

Foreword from Sorare CEO and co-founder Nicolas Julia:

Last month, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of Sorare.

Over that span, we’ve grown from a team of two working out of an apartment with a single football partner, to a global workforce collaborating with over 400 partners across Football, the NBA, and MLB.

In 2023 alone, we partnered with the Premier League, launched a virtual cash wallet, revamped our web and mobile platforms, and rewarded winners of top competitions with once-in-a-lifetime experiences — like meeting Zinedine Zidane.

Over the last five years, several core beliefs continue to guide us:

Belief in Sorare — More than ever we believe in the need for a platform that empowers sports enthusiasts to elevate and own their fandom, rising from spectators on the sideline to general managers in the (virtual) front office.

Belief in owning our digital lives — We believe in the power of melding blockchain technology and digital collectible cards to create a revolutionary fantasy sports experience, where you can truly own your game by collecting, buying, selling, and competing with digital player cards.

Belief in our community — We believe in fans experiencing the thrill of sports like pro general managers, building their legacy week over week and season over season, and unlocking the one-of-a-kind experiences that only come from playing Sorare.

We’re appreciative of the lessons learned and excited for the opportunities ahead. (Here’s my “State of Sorare” update.) Heading further into 2024, we’re focused on enhancing our core products and expanding upon them: We’re soon launching a mobile-first, head-to-head game mode (more on that below).

We have much room to grow and improve, and greatly value your feedback as we continue to build better, together. Many thanks for being part of the Sorare community!

Nicolas Julia

This past year was significant for Sorare. Below is a recap of key launches and features:

Launched our Premier League partnership along with a brand spot and special contests, including the current PL Winter Competition with $500,000 in total cash prizes
Implemented Cash Wallet, a virtual wallet system that offers a secure, seamless way to transact in both fiat money (cash) and Ether (ETH). It’s now easier for Managers to buy and sell player cards, as well as deposit and withdraw cash.
Rolled out 3D digital player cards with Augmented Reality interactivity. To celebrate, we launched a global contest that rewarded Managers for showcasing their 3D cards.

Sorare on Twitter: "New season. New dimension. Get ready for our most desirable, tangible and interactive cards yet. @PremierLeague dropping later this month in 3D. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/O70Zlf994X / Twitter"

New season. New dimension. Get ready for our most desirable, tangible and interactive cards yet. @PremierLeague dropping later this month in 3D. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/O70Zlf994X

Overhauled our web and mobile experiences to make them more engaging and easy to navigate. The updates, rooted in research and Manager feedback, included:

Enhanced app — Launched an updated design with new features including Instant Buy, allowing Managers to purchase new Limited Cards right in the app; Market Notifications, keeping Managers informed of their auction status and offers; and Live, so Managers can follow their team performances in real time.

My Club — Introduced this personalized social profile to bring each Manager’s Sorare journey to life in a sharable way. It consolidates the key elements of your Sorare experience — stats, collections, achievements, progress — into one hub.

Partnered with NBA and MLB stars to serve as Sorare ambassadors to participate in brand videos, digital content, and reward experiences

NBA: Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges

MLB: Julio Rodriguez, Juan Soto

Launched editorial partnerships with MLB journalist Jon Morosi and NBA Twitter guru Rob “@WorldWideWob” Perez, to provide player picks and run custom Sorare leagues

SorareNBA on Twitter: "Which Sorare NBA card does @jalenbrunson1 want? 🤔 Decisions, decisions for Sorare's point guard. pic.twitter.com/DcelSxUuhh / Twitter"

Which Sorare NBA card does @jalenbrunson1 want? 🤔 Decisions, decisions for Sorare's point guard. pic.twitter.com/DcelSxUuhh

Rolled out the Collection Game, providing Sorare Managers the ability to gain scoring bonuses by assembling Collections of their favorite teams and players
Introduced Special Edition cards: Auctioned NBA Draft Special Edition Cards, and released our first MLB Special Edition Cards (Postseason Edition and Awards Edition)
Speaking of NBA rookie cards: The 2023–24 Victor Wembanyama Unique Card sold at auction for $110,000, the highest price paid thus far for any Wemby collectible
Debuted the Soraries, a social-driven, Manager-voted football awards campaign culminating in the creation of Special Edition Cards for the Sorarie winners; and Year on Sorare, providing Managers with a custom recap of their annual highlights by sport

Where would we be without our Managers? To celebrate the Sorare community, here’s a rundown of some of our favorite Manager-focused social media posts and content over the past year. (Related: We’re rolling out a new content series this year spotlighting inspiring Manager stories.)

Football

https://medium.com/media/df9bc95d29e8fde077c0d8429bf8e638/href

Harry Trades on Twitter: "I thought Coutinho had left Liverpool 👀@sorare made a footballing dream of mine come true yesterday, eternally grateful @dansorare 🙏Never did I think I'd score a goal at a football stadium, never mind Anfield 🤯 pic.twitter.com/n8AJSl4MR8 / Twitter"

I thought Coutinho had left Liverpool 👀@sorare made a footballing dream of mine come true yesterday, eternally grateful @dansorare 🙏Never did I think I'd score a goal at a football stadium, never mind Anfield 🤯 pic.twitter.com/n8AJSl4MR8

https://medium.com/media/572db3259f4b9f84409b4be75df0a040/href https://medium.com/media/e763a4b235f770385a4a1fe82da75e96/href

MLB

https://medium.com/media/6b6203921fa0e904cab2a109bf85f83c/href https://medium.com/media/f28da5f45f0e7f04f187defcacdaeb35/href

Andrew M. Laird on Twitter: "Yankees win on Opening Day!⚾💥Thanks again to @Sorare for another awesome IRL experience! THE BEST sports NFT platform!#sorareontour pic.twitter.com/PHoLGcf9Ei / Twitter"

Yankees win on Opening Day!⚾💥Thanks again to @Sorare for another awesome IRL experience! THE BEST sports NFT platform!#sorareontour pic.twitter.com/PHoLGcf9Ei

Kribbs Cutler on Twitter: "@soraremlb thank you for the invite to the 2023 MLB World Tour México City @Padres vs @SFGiants#sorareontour#soraremlb#sorareThanks you @Jonsorare !! pic.twitter.com/fGUmorfvIy / Twitter"

@soraremlb thank you for the invite to the 2023 MLB World Tour México City @Padres vs @SFGiants#sorareontour#soraremlb#sorareThanks you @Jonsorare !! pic.twitter.com/fGUmorfvIy

NBA

https://medium.com/media/95acab364e282487e9cf7fb2832f0bec/href https://medium.com/media/f3e76d3cca38e0bf6071de9329666e30/href https://medium.com/media/801e2851ce6111e64ef09d4dc5b77240/href

SorareNBA on Twitter: ""WEMBY!"Sorare Managers react to @vicw_32 going No. 1 overall in last week's NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/T8nIpp6y3Y / Twitter"

"WEMBY!"Sorare Managers react to @vicw_32 going No. 1 overall in last week's NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/T8nIpp6y3Y

This year will be pivotal for growing and evolving the Sorare experience and our products — and for expanding our community of passionate sports fans.

We already released Manager ID, a way for each Manager to show off their accomplishments and journey on Sorare. And we continued our efforts to improve the mobile experience by launching a new Android app, enabling Android-based Managers to fully navigate their Sorare journey — compose lineups, bid on auctions, etc — from the palm of their hand.

Plus, we’re soon launching Sorare Rivals, an epic head-to-head fantasy football game — playable each matchday — where Managers showcase their lineup strategy and tactics against friends and foes.

And that’s just the beginning. For now, we encourage you to read Nicolas’ recent X post that outlines a variety of forthcoming plans.

Many thanks for reading, and for your continued participation and collaboration. We’re excited to grow Sorare to new heights in 2024 and beyond!

For more information, follow us on social (X, Instagram), check out our blog, or visit our website.

The Annual: Sorare 2023 Year in Review was originally published in Sorare on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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