Buffalo Bills-themed “Fortnite” map launches in NFL Zone presented by Visa

Mar 30, 2023 - 8:57 PM

Buffalo Bills fans of a certain age have likely spent countless hours ignoring school work while racking up score after score in video games such as “Madden NFL,” “Tecmo Bowl”/”Tecmo Super Bowl,” “Joe Montana Football,” “NFL Blitz,” “NFL 2k,” “NFL GameDay,” “NCAA Football,” and so on, ad infinitum. Classic games, not just to football fans, but to legions of gamers.

But football, in name at least, doesn’t end with those franchises. One of the most-successful, and widely played games of the last decade, “Fortnite,” provides players with the chance to play within an arena known as the NFL Zone presented by Visa. Now, the Bills have joined the “Fortnite” fun, giving players a chance to explore in-game as a uniformed Buffalo Bills character. Players can explore an all-things-Bills map that includes the team’s stadium, tailgate section, and Bills-branded ephemera throughout the playable area. Additionally, the gameplay features the city of Buffalo and Niagara Falls all bathed in snow.

As explained in the news release at BuffaloBills.com:

“The NFL Zone presented by Visa is a multifaceted, dynamic metaverse experience built in Fortnite Creative and now includes a map dedicated to Bills Mafia.

Inside the map, players can experience a taste of Bills Mafia with several unique areas representing a special part of Bills fanfare.

Players can access the map using the Island Code: 5132-3600-4199

This is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games, Inc.”

The NFL and longtime partner Visa, created and launched the NFL Zone in “Fortnite Creative” during December of 2022. The goal behind its creation was to provide a platform to introduce younger consumers to the game of football in a sandbox platform through mini-games and experiences involving virtual tailgating. The NFL has made a commitment to attracting younger fans to its product, a demographic which has largely shunned the sport.

What do you think, Bills Mafia — are you itching to fire up your console, PC, or phone to have a go at a round of Buffalo Bills “Fortnite” shenanigans? If you’ve never played it before, are you now curious enough to give it a try?

But back to those football games mentioned at the outset. If you’re like me, you have countless memories of those games — and you might still play those old titles, especially with emulators and the always-versatile Raspberry Pi.

In today’s interactive gaming world, you could even find yourself teaming up with or gaming against NFL players and be completely unaware. So many professional athletes game, whether it’s football or “Fortnite.” Some players even invite people to join in their gaming sessions, such as former Bills running back Boobie Dixon.

If most of what’s been discussed here escapes your understanding completely, have no fear: It’s never to late to learn something new, and there’s far less enjoyable things to learn than what’s necessary when diving into video games!

But yes, the Buffalo Bills have invaded Fortnite!