Gen-Xers, xennials and perhaps even some millenials and boomers as well will love the way that Southampton FC rolled out out their new kit for next season.
The south coast club produced a retro, 8 bit Nintendo (or maybe it’s more 16 bit Sega Genesis, but it’s definitely late ’80s style) video game for mobile devices. You can play it at this link.
The game, named “Defying the Odds since 1885,” features three levels for fans to conquer, each unlocking a different portion of the new home kit. The game begins in 1885 at the inception of the club and leads up to the present day.
The game contains a lot of references that only Saints die-hards or football wonks will understand, including: Matt Le Tissier, Kevin Keegan, Ali Dia and Markus Liebherr.
And like every video game, there are of course “enemies” of sorts to get past including: rival Portsmouth players, Liverpool’s bank manager and Harry Redknapp in his Range Rover.
Here’s a clip below:
Defying the Odds Since 1885 ?
Travel through #SaintsFC's 135-year history to unlock our BRAND NEW 2020/21 kit!#Saints1885 ?
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) July 8, 2020
The game also includes many notable sights in the background: Southampton landmarks (including the Titanic which launched from the city’s port), the old Wembley where the club won the FA Cup in ’76, an airplane emblazoned with the European Union logo, the Flowers Hotel, Southampton’s first stadium, the Dell, and the current home, St Mary’s Stadium.
And the soundtrack is an 8 bit version of the club’s signature song, their take on the iconic Louis Armstrong classic “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
And the new kit is retro as well, as it features a sash, an homage to the actual physical sash the players wore over their kits as early as 1885.
“As we mark the 135th anniversary of Southampton Football Club, the players, the staff and the fans alike are proud to remember our rich history, and that’s why the new kit features the iconic sash design that first graced Southampton’s shirts back in 1885,” Charlie Read, Head of Marketing at Southampton FC, said.
“We’ve always had a fighting spirit and we’re proud of that, so we couldn’t think of a better way to mark the club’s135th anniversary than by reminding our fans of the many times we’ve defied the odds throughout our rich history.
“Creating an interactive retro style arcade game to take fans through the club’s history and allow them to unlock the new kit, felt like the ultimate way to do this.”
Today saw the launch of the Southampton FC home and third kit, with the away kit launching in August.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.