Introducing Key Gameplay Updates for Sorare: Football 2023

Sorare: Football is excited to announce major upgrades to gameplay as part of our larger 2023 product roadmap. The announcement includes details on our new league-specific competitions, vision for progression, and much more. These changes build upon our recent announcement of Ethereum (ETH) thresholds across all scarcities, and reflect our goals to make gameplay more intuitive and fun for both new and existing Sorare Managers.

Here’s a detailed look at 1) updates to improve Manager progression through new competitions, leaderboards, and other features; and 2) enhancements to overall gameplay via upgrades to the Manager homepage, Club Shop experience, and training feature.

Refining Manager Progression

We are excited to share our vision for Manager progression, outlined in the following enhancements and three-step advancement process (from “Amateur” to “Pro”).

Introducing League-Specific Competitions

Building on the foundations set by the Global Cup and the LaLiga Santander Draft Beta, we are introducing league-specific competitions for some of our most popular leagues. (In preparation for the full launch, you may see more draft betas in the coming days.)

Starting Game Week 340 — which goes live on Jan. 24 — Sorare Managers can compete in the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Spanish LaLiga, and the first league in France. (We will follow up with an MLS-specific league closer to the start of the 2023 MLS season.) In addition to Common draft, league-specific competitions will only be available in the Limited card scarcity.

We believe these competitions will open the door to football fans who want to compete and play with the leagues and players they love, and allow us to unlock real-life rewards and once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences specific to those leagues, such as meeting football stars.

We will continue to follow our standard Game Week windows (Friday to Tuesday) for the league-specific competitions. On the odd occasions when there are midweek league fixtures, we will only open league-specific competitions if at least five matches/10 clubs from that league are playing league fixtures in that particular Game Week.

Step 1: Draft-Based Onboarding + Amateur Competition

We are launching a draft-based onboarding experience with Common cards within a new league-specific Amateur competition. (To be followed by Semi-Pro and Pro competitions, detailed below, as Managers progress.)

Data and community feedback show that Sorare Managers love the opportunity to compete on an even playing field and test their skills, so we are implementing that philosophy in various ways across the board. Previously, new Managers won a random assortment of player cards from clubs and leagues that they potentially didn’t know or follow. Moving forward, new Managers will select a league to launch their Sorare journey, and draft their squad from that league.

Draft Rules:

• Managers select eight players within a 400-point cap
• A player’s last-15 game score average (L15) determines their points value
• If a player’s L15 score is less than 40, their budget points value is set at 40 (actual values subject to change pending beta test results)
• There are a maximum of two players from the same club
• Any recruitment points remaining from the draft or swaps will carry over

At the beginning of each new season, a Manager’s eight Common cards will reset as they begin a new draft.

Card Swaps:

After each Game Week, Managers can swap a maximum of two draft Common cards for their league-specific draft squads. Here’s how it works:

• When you choose to swap a card, you first select the player in your squad you want to release
• In return for releasing your player, you will receive the original budget points you used to first draft that player
• You can then use the acquired budget points along with your remaining budget points to add a new draft Common card to your squad. This new card will not have any extra points (XP).

Note the new Common draft competitions will reward top performers with Limited cards and Sorare coins (our in-game currency and Club Shop will be rebranded and revamped in the coming months).

For this new gameplay, we will no longer reward Common cards in our fantasy competitions…

A New Chapter for Common cards

In 2022, we ran a number of tests and launched features to improve the first chapter of a Sorare Manager’s journey. The Global Cup was the most valuable test of our long-term vision for our free-to-play game and Manager progression.

Once we fully launch the new draft-based onboarding, we will remove the following features that we believe are unnecessary and clutter the path for progression that we’re refining:

• The Academy competition — While it was a valuable test, it needed improvements regarding gameplay balance and better educating new Managers.
• Casual — Instead of a global casual competition, Managers can continue to play within the entry level of league-specific competitions. The introduction of Private Leagues means Managers can also play casually with friends.
• Onboarding Common card packs and Daily Drops — Our data and research show that draft and card swaps are more engaging and exciting product features that better mimic the decisions a professional football club owner or chairman makes when scouting players.

2023 is a year for building. It’s also a year for re-building and enhancing areas of our product. As such, we are revisiting our initial plans for Common cards, including the Common cards you won during Global Cup. To begin this new chapter, we believe it is necessary to reset aspects of our Common card legacy to move forward. Everyone should be on an even playing field in the new Common card game modes.

This reset means that all Common cards claimed or won before Jan. 27 will no longer have utility. Managers will only be able to play with their draft Common cards in our fantasy game and applicable Capped Modes. (Note this will not impact scarcity cards like Limited, Rare, Super Rare, and Unique.) Draft Common cards can be played in multiple lineups to help fill out your squads.

As noted, the current Common card structure blocks product advancement and innovation. This reset will allow us to move forward more quickly and introduce many of the new features and competitions listed below. We are confident our plans are better for the long-term success of Sorare and our growing Manager community.

We understand this is a significant change, particularly for those of you who enjoyed playing with your current Common cards. We are mapping out plans to celebrate and thank Managers who are key parts of the Sorare legacy we are building together, including giving them exclusive cosmetic rewards and more. Expect an update on this in the coming months.

Step 2: League-Specific Semi-Pro

Once a Manager has mastered the Common Draft competition and won their first Limited card, it’s time for them to consider their next step up the football ladder.

The league-specific Semi-Pro competition (e.g., Serie A Semi-Pro, etc) requires just one Limited card to compete along with drafted Common cards. It’s the perfect opportunity for new Managers to prove themselves and compete with Managers at a similar experience level and win better rewards.

Step 3: League-Specific Pro (270 capped points)

From there, Managers can progress to the league-specific Limited Capped 270 competition where one Common card is allowed. This competition is designed to introduce Managers to the more advanced levels of Sorare’s scoring matrix and help them navigate how to build lineups in Capped Modes. In this competition, Managers will win cards from the chosen League and amazing fan experiences.

Here’s a recap of the new progression for league-specific tournaments:

• Managers can play all three competitions (Amateur, Semi Pro and Pro) in the same Game Week. Entering one competition does not exclude you from another.
• Only Managers that own 10 Limited cards or less can compete in the Semi Pro competition.
• All your Drafted Common Cards are eligible for selection for multiple competitions in the same Game Week. Drafted Common Cards are eligible for the Amateur, Semi Pro, Pro 270 and Limited Capped 220 modes.

Step 4: Flex Your Sorare Pro Expertise

At this stage, a Sorare Manager would have proved their skills at the league-specific level, and would have all the tools to become a Manager at the global level.

From here there are a number of ways a Sorare Manager can plan their next move as they take their pro skills one step closer to global stardom:

• Managers can choose to compete in the Capped competitions (e.g. Cap 220, etc) — which includes players from all leagues and clubs. In our new Capped competitions, Managers must build their five-player lineup within a points cap. The points cap is based on a player’s last-15 (L15) average score. The introduction of Capped Modes will enable numerous strategies where every type of card has meaningful utility.
• In Capped 220, Managers can experience our Capped Mode for the first time. Up to one card of the lower scarcity is allowed in your lineup. Managers will win rewards of the same scarcity (e.g. Limited rewards in Limited 220, etc). There are no XP or Captain Bonuses in this competition.
• In Limited Capped 220, Managers can use up to one of their Drafted Common cards in their Lineup. Managers can select their Drafted Common Card even if that card has been selected for other competitions (eg Amateur and / or Semi-Pro).
• Managers eager for more of a challenge can also compete in the Capped 240 competitions that offer ETH Thresholds and cards from the next highest scarcity. To learn more about these competitions we recommend reading our previous gameplay update. In Capped 240, you can win cards from the higher scarcity (e.g. win Rare cards in Capped 240 Limited). XP and Captain Bonuses do not apply.
• In Capped 270, you can build lineups with the most in-form players and win cards from a higher scarcity. Both XP and Captain Bonuses apply.
• Managers can also choose to hone their skills and strategies in the uncapped regional competitions (e.g. Europe, Asia, America, etc) or special competitions like U23 and Global All-Star.

Here’s a recap of the new progression within each scarcity and the rules for each Capped Mode:

Permanent Kickoff Competitions

We’re excited to announce that the hugely popular Kickoff competitions will be permanent from Rare all the way to the Unique divisions. Once a Manager has mastered the Limited scarcity, the Rare Kickoff tournament is the perfect introduction to move up the Sorare football ladder. In each scarcity we will have permanent Kickoff competitions to facilitate progression.

Please note that Kickoff competitions are restricted to Managers who have fewer than 10 cards of the scarcity competition they are competing in. This rule may change in a future update.

There’s always a new place to progress. Following the league-specific competitions, here is a complete view of the Sorare Manager progression:

On top of our new structure for gameplay progression, we’re also working on a number of exciting features and updates we look forward to soon unveiling. Here is a preview of what is happening behind the scenes:

Sorare: Football Product Roadmap

New Leaderboards

For the first time, we will introduce monthly leaderboards and seasonal leaderboards across select competitions. Similar to the overall Leaderboard at Sorare Global Cup, these new Leaderboards will offer the usual rewards as well as exclusive football experiences. We’re talking about taking a flight with your favorite club, attending training sessions, meeting your favorite players, VIP experiences at the biggest derbies, and much more.

Revamping the Manager Homepage

Over the last few weeks we’ve been working on a new Manager homepage. It’s designed to make your homepage your headquarters to track progress, connect with friends, and more. Part of this work is closely aligned with our plans to revamp your Game Lobby experience. This is a significant change in how Managers will experience Sorare going forward. The Manager dashboard will put you at the center of your game, making the experience much more personal. Expect continual improvements over the coming months.

Upgrading the Club Shop

We are reviewing our Club Shop experience to give it some much-needed love. This includes new challenges and cosmetics to celebrate your Sorare victories and legacy.

Training Revamp

One of the biggest pain points for Managers has been the training feature. Managers with larger galleries spend too much time submitting their teams. We’re removing the need to enter 100s of training teams, and are introducing a more strategic training experience. Expect an update on this soon.

Game Week Deadlines and Rewards Timing

In response to valuable Manager feedback on Twitter and Discord, we have been working toward significantly reducing the time it takes to ship rewards. Our target is to deliver your rewards at a consistent time each Game Week. In addition, we’re changing our Game Week deadline to better fit the football calendar and our international audience. The new Game Week deadline time will be 4pm CET/10am EST, with rewards delivered at 8pm CET/2pm EST.

Rewards Philosophy

In our Capped Mode progression, every competition will reward cards from the played scarcity. For example, Limited Cap 220, 240, 270, and All-Star will all reward Limited cards.

In both Cap 240 and Cap 270, Managers will be able to win cards from the next highest scarcity in addition to cards from the played scarcity. For example, podium places in Limited Cap 240 and Limited Cap 270 will reward both Limited and Rare cards. Also note that top-tier cards are more often distributed as rewards in the more advanced Cap competitions like Cap 270.

In the coming months, we’re looking to introduce additional tiers to help us further improve card reward fairness and consistency.

Improving your Sorare Experience

We will continue to ship quick wins that improve our community’s daily Sorare experience. Over the next two months, we are focused on removing friction points so that Managers can better navigate Sorare: Football and build their teams.

As always, we will monitor, review, and respond to your feedback surrounding our gameplay updates. As another point of feedback and transparency, we will answer your questions and share more 2023 updates in a Twitter Spaces on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 3pm CET/9am ET with Sorare: Football General Manager Aalok Kapoor and Sorare: Football Community Manager Dan O’Kelly.

Thanks for reading and best of luck with your Game Weeks!