SWOOPS 101: GAME OVERVIEW
For those of you new to the Swoops universe, we've put together a general overview of the game. As is the case with any great game and any great professional sports league, Swoops is a puzzle to be solved by the owner, general manager, and coach (you, you, and you).
Whether you're trying to determine the type of squad you want to build or which players you want to buy off of the secondary market (our version of free agency), the decisions you make will have a direct impact on your success. With that in mind, let's get started...
WHAT IS SWOOPS?
In short, Swoops is your chance to own your own virtual basketball franchise. Yeah, it's our dream come true too.
SIGN UPWHAT IS SWOOPS?
Swoops is a blockchain-powered, basketball simulation game that allows users to own and operate a 100% unique team, compete for seasonal championships, and win daily cash prizes. If you’ve ever dreamt of owning, operating, and profiting off of your own basketball franchise, this is your chance.
Swoops users will experience a play & earn game that looks and feels like a real basketball league but with its own IP and world of Swoopsters (robotic players) — each a one-of-one player that evolves and ages over time.
KEY STATS:
- 145,000+ games played in less than three months since launch.
- 200+ community built and owned teams.
- 90+ owner-built, team logos and team brands.
- 600+ owner-named Swoopsters.
- Floor price average has never dipped below mint price (.05 ETH).
HOW DO I PLAY?
At a high level, Swoops can be broken down into three key steps:
- BUILD A TEAM: The Swoops player pool is made up of an infinite combination of physical & skill-based attributes. You will never find a duplicate athlete in the Swoops universe. Ever. That also means that the team you build through minting and buying players from the secondary market will be completely one-of-a-kind. You truly are constructing an original franchise in the same way any professional basketball team owner would.
- ENTER DAILY CONTESTS: Each day you’ll find open pickup games against other Swoops team owners from around the world! To play in a contest, you’ll need to own at least one Swoops player. You can fill out the rest of your squad with players from our free agency pool at no cost to you. Each game is then simulated using our proprietary Swoops Simulator technology, delivering a full post-game box score that you can use to make future lineup and team decisions. The more you play, the more you will learn about your squad!
- WIN CASH: In the coming seasons, real money gaming will be activated. This is where you can make a profit! Users will pay the equivalent of an ante to enter a paid contest. The winner of that game then takes the pot! Never before have fans like us been able to build, own, manage, and profit from our own basketball teams. That is until Swoops.
INFINITE PLAYER COMBINATIONS
The Swoops player pool is made up of an infinite combination of physical and skill-based attributes. No two players in the Swoops universe will ever be the same.
PLAYER STAR RATING SYSTEM
Similar to real-world college sports recruiting ratings, Swoopsters are rated from one to five stars — with five being the strongest rating. Five-star ratings are given out to a small population of players while single-star ratings make up the largest portion of the player pool. Though the higher star rating signals a higher ceiling and chance of success, five-star players are not guaranteed to have elite-level success nor are one-star players guaranteed to have modest careers.
TRUE PLAYER AND TEAM OWNERSHIP
While other blockchain-backed daily fantasy games force users to own duplicated player assets, Swoops digital assets are all one-of-ones randomly generated on the blockchain. No two users will ever own the same player in our world.
100% UNIQUE TEAMS
Because no two players are the same and no two owners can own the same player, every user-owned team in the Swoops universe will be 100% unique to them: another key differentiator from traditional daily fantasy.
REAL-MONEY CONTESTS
Swoops is a true play & earn game. Starting with season 2, users will have the chance to enter daily real-money games and tournaments. In each case, users pay an ante to enter a contest, with the winner of that contest taking a pot of money home as the reward for victory. In the Swoops universe, owners can truly own, operate, AND profit from their teams.
SEASON-BASED GAMING
Swoops seasons will cover 13 weeks, including a regular season, All-Star tournament, and an off-season, similar to its real-world, NBA counterpart. Each season culminates with an end-of-season tournament to determine a champion, called the Swooper Bowl.
PLAYER REVEAL DAY
On a single day during each off-season, a new batch of Swoopsters will be introduced to the Swoops Universe. On that day, owners will discover details about the players they minted, including how they look along with a limited reveal of player-based skills. Each new player will unveil a limited number of their 15 skill scores (covering things like three-point shooting, offensive and defensive rebounding, leadership, and more). If you can't wait until the next mint, you can buy players at any point on OpenSea.
PLAYER EVOLUTION AND AGING
With each passing season, a Swoopster’s skill scores evolve. In some cases, those skill scores will go up. And in other cases, they will go down. In all instances, players will age one full year of life per three-month playing season. Meaning, in a full calendar year, a Swoops player minted at the beginning of that year will grow to be four years older by the end of those 12 months.
WHAT IS THE SWOOPS SIMULATOR?
The propietary technology that our game is built on. Built by a team of data scientists, each with real-world NBA experience.
SIGN UPPROPRIETARY SIMULATOR TECHNOLOGY
Swoops simulations are fueled by the proprietary Swoops Simulator. Built by a team of data scientists, all of whom have worked for the NBA in some capacity, the Swoops Sim will revolutionize the way sports simulations are completed.
TEAM CHEMISTRY
The Swoops Simulator assesses how skill sets interact with one another, adjusting playing styles, shot types, locations, and likelihood of a particular event based on interactions between all players on the court.
TEAM-ADJUSTED RATINGS
The Swoops Simulator will accurately judge how any combination of players will play together who have not done so in the past.
PLAY-BY-PLAY-BASED SIMULATIONS
Play-by-play simulations offer continuous game flow, player shot distribution, and granular shot locations based on player tendencies.
PLAYER IQ
Players adjust for game flow and specific game situations. For example, two-for-one possessions at the end of quarters or regulation.
COACH IQ
The Swoops Simulator adjusts team strategy based on the game situation. For example, if a team is winning by 30 points, it will slow the pace of the game to prevent the opponent from scoring more.
MULTIPLE PLAYING STYLES
The Swoops Simulator is modeled after our NBA counterparts — where a variety of playing styles can lead to deep runs in the Swooper Bowl. How you play is up to you.
WHO IS BACKING SWOOPS?
A who’s who at the intersection of sports and technology, including: Courtside Ventures, Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, ESPN NBA analyst Ros Gold-Onwude, multiple NBA ownership groups, Slow Ventures, Red Beard Ventures, Alpaca VC, and more.
WHAT PROJECTS ARE PLAYING SWOOPS?
Multiple Web3 projects have jumped into the Swoops universe to create their own branded teams, including Pirates of the Metaverse, Knights of Degen, GOATZ, and more.
HOW MANY TEAMS ARE THERE?
In just a few months since launch, we've already locked in 200+ community-owned and operated teams. Eat your heart out, NBA. There's already a chase to the top brewing amongst owners, all of whom have the coveted Swooper Bowl trophy in their sights.
