Virtual NFL Jerseys Now Available On Xbox Live

By Chris Sherman On October 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment

To tie in with the start of football season and the recent launch of Madden NFL 10, today Microsoft announced that a new line of over 60 virtual NFL jerseys are now available for purchase on Xbox Live. The line includes a male and female fit version of every single NFL team's jersey. Each jersey costs 320 Microsoft Points, or roughly $4.

This is an unusually high price for Xbox avatar apparel, possibly due to NFL licensing fees. These virtual jerseys are also some of the first official NFL licensed virtual goods to appear on any platform. While the licensing company Beelya has deals with individual NFL athletes, there has otherwise been no presence for the NFL in virtual world or online game items.

In this regard the NFL has lagged behind the NBA and MLB, which have both closed official licensing deals for virtual items. The NBA handles licensing through Virtual Greats, which specializes in bringing celebrity and other licenses to virtual worlds and games, while the MLB has primarily been active through the MLB Dugout Heroes game operated by GamesCampus.