Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is featured in a new video game created by Bit Fry Game Studios, Inc. and available on Apple Arcade. “Ultimate Rivals: The Rink” is the first game in a new “Ultimate Rivals” franchise which pits 58 star athletes from all of five of the major sports (hockey, basketball, football, baseball and soccer) against each other. Wayne Gretzky is also a playable player.
Ovechkin, along with Apple, helped release the trailer and promote the new video game on his Instagram account Thursday night.
Videogame Trailer
“gonna be sick to see these guys play hockey!!” Ovechkin wrote, while tagging LA Dodgers All-Star Justin Turner, Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox, and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in his post.
In the video game, Ovechkin rocks a red, white, and blue Washington Capitals jersey while looking reminiscent of Iron Man. The design is a nod to Ovechkin’s larger than life personality.
Photo: Apple
Apple described the gameplay in a press release.
In “Ultimate Rivals: The Rink,” the first title in the franchise, players choose from more than 50 superstar athletes to compete in exciting two-on-two hockey matches. Players can combine, for instance, Alex Ovechkin and Alex Morgan against De’Aaron Fox and Jose Altuve or Skylar Diggins-Smith and Wayne Gretzky. Different combinations of heroes unlock unique ways to play and win against the AI or other gamers in online multiplayer matches. On the ice, the action is driven by players’ quick reflexes and are brought to life with stylized visuals and immersive sound FX.
To make the game happen, Bit Fry secured licenses from nine major professional sports organizations, including the NHL, NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), NBA, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), MLB, MLB Players Association (MLBPA), NFLPA, Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), USWNTPA, as well as Gretzky.
According to Apple, Bit Fry has many powerful sports and entertainment investors.
The company was founded in 2013 with its first investment coming from former Red Sox owner and vice chairman Les Otten, and now counts among its investors many leading names in sports and gaming, including NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern, Xbox co-creator and managing partner of 1UP Ventures Ed Fries, MLB all-star and World Series champion Ryan Howard, private equity fund Dugout Ventures, co-founding partner of March Capital Gregory Milken, Barclays’ head of Equities Trading for the Americas Todd Sandoz, and BITKRAFT Esports Ventures.
“We are ripping up the sports video game rule book and re-writing it for a new generation,” Ben Freidlin, the CEO and founder of Bit Fry Game Studios, Inc. and the creator of “Ultimate Rivals”, said in a release. “We’re starting with the gamer first and empowering their imagination to create the ultimate team of athletes across sports, in a way only they can envision.”
“With Apple Arcade, we are committed to delivering a curated catalog where every title offers players a new, innovative experience that pushes the boundaries of what a game can be,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, added. The ‘Ultimate Rivals’ franchise does just that. “‘Ultimate Rivals: The Rink’ is a great new addition to Apple Arcade and we are excited for everyone to try it out.”
Ovi is joined in the game by 31 other hockey players.
Carey Price (Montreal)
Brent Burns (San Jose)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton)
Patrick Kane (Chicago)
PK Subban (New Jersey)
Cam Fowler(Anaheim)
Clayton Keller(Arizona)
Brad Marchand (Boston)
Jack Eichel (Buffalo)
Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary)
Sebastian Aho (Carolina)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado)
Seth Jones (Columbus)
Tyler Seguin (Dallas)
Dylan Larkin (Detroit)
Aleksander Barkov (Florida)
Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles)
Zach Parise (Minnesota)
Pekka Rinne (Nashville)
Matthew Barzal (NY Islanders)
Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers)
Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia)
Ryan O’Reily (St Louis)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay)
Auston Matthews (Toronto)
Marc Andre Fleury (Vegas)
Elias Pettersson (Vancouver)
Patrik Laine (Winnipeg)
Wayne Gretzky
The other sports stars in the game include:
NBA
De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento)
Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn)
Kevin Durant (Brooklyn)
Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
James Harden (Houston)
Zion Williamson (New Orleans)
Lebron James (LA Lakers)
Russell Westbrook (Houston)NFL
JuJu Smith Schuster (Pittsburgh)
Odell Beckham Jr (Cleveland)
Drew Brees (New Orleans)
JJ Watt (Houston)
Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City)
Russell Wilson (Seattle)MLB
Jose Altuve (Houston)
Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
Giancarlo Stanton (NY Yankees)
Mike Trout (LA Angels)
Noah Syndergaard (NY Mets)
Mookie Betts (Boston)
Justin Turner (LA Dodgers)WNBA
Elena Delle Donne (Washington)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas)
Diana Taurasi (Phoenix)USWNTPA
Alex Morgan
Megan Rapinoe
Carli Lloyd
Ovechkin first got involved in discussions for the game in late September according to his agent David Abrutyn.
“Ovi is a gamer and the idea of being part of innovative crossover game with other superstars is right in line with his well-known enjoyment of meeting and being around other athletes and celebrities,” Abrutyn said. “The fun-sized images, graphics, and gameplay are also in line with his brand and personality.
“It’s going to be fun to see what comes next and what you can play as Ovi at the rink seems to be the starting point based on the other sports stars in the game,” Abrutyn added.
It's anyone's game.
Ultimate Rivals: The Rink is now available. Only on @applearcade. https://t.co/ammWB81G1y #ItsAnyonesGame #AppleArcade pic.twitter.com/0azaAZuSqQ
— Ultimate Rivals (@ultimate_rivals) December 13, 2019
Indeed, Abrutyn is right. “Ultimate Rivals: The Rink” will be followed by an NBA licensed basketball game, “Ultimate Rivals: The Court” in spring 2020.
“Ovi monster dunks await,” Abrutyn said laughing.
“Ultimate Rivals: The Rink” is available via Apple Arcade on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Apple Arcade is a $5 per month subscription available through the App Store. Learn more about the game on the App Store.
Headline photo: Apple
