Footballer turned actor Vinne Jones has become the face of Stanga Games’ Underworld Football Manager.
As well as appearing on the app icon and in marketing material, The Snatch actor will also appear as a main character within the game for an undisclosed period.
Jones enjoyed a 15-year football career and was a part of Wimbledon FC’s infamous ‘crazy gang,’ which won the FA Cup in 1988 in an upset against juggernaut Liverpool FC.
Since turning to acting, he has appeared in several of director Guy Ritchie’s films, such as Snatch, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Snatched
“From the first moment I heard about the company and the game I knew Vinnie Jones needed to be the face of it. He is the perfect fit for our game,” Stanga CEO Adam Jaffe told PocketGamer.biz.
“I am a bit too young to know Vinnie the footballer, but absolutely remember and love Vinnie the badass gangster, from movies like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.
“After taking the role of CEO at Stanga I reached out to Vinnie's agent, but we were simply too small and too poor to bring him into the product.
“Well times have changed, and after a number dead ends, we finally managed to find the right people to talk to, and they helped us get the deal over the line."
While Jaffe couldn’t be sure of what the long-term benefits of such a deal could be, he remained convinced the partnership was made in perfect synergy.
“I don't claim to know that this will be a 100 per cent success, but I do know that there are very few games that match up so well with celebrity IP,” said Jaffe.
“The persona that Vinnie crafted and deftly curated over the years is a near perfect fit for our game.
“His association to our game should help us in marketing and early retention of users.”
Back of the net
News of the partnership follows Stanga Games raising $500,000 in funding late last year to expand its team and invest in a new marketing push.
The funding round was led by Taya Ventures, with the investment firm’s Kobi Morenko joining Stanga’s board of directors.
The updated version of Underworld Football Manager with Vinnie Jones is currently available on iOS and Android.
Additional reporting: Iain Harris
