How To Create A Fantasy Sports App?

Should the development of a fantasy sports app be as simple as playing with it?

Yes, Right! The process of Fantasy Sports app development can be simple if you select the right team.

Do you think that to develop an app, you need to have an overall knowledge of app development?

You should. But before that, you should know why and what the right process is to create a fantasy sports app.

The reason behind it is, that the more acknowledged you will be about the app, the more wisely you will invest in app development.

Hence, here’s a guide to create a fantasy sports app that can aid you beginning with what is fantasy sports app to the market size of fantasy sports industry, app development cost, and monetization model.

What is a Fantasy Sports App?

A fantasy app is one of the digital platforms that permit users to develop virtual teams that are comprised of real professional athletes from different sports leagues including soccer, hockey, cricket, baseball, football, etc.

These are online games, where virtual figures of real professional athletes from a specific sport are selected to play.

With the growing demand for online gaming the interest in fantasy sports has increased. This has created a market of fantasy sports apps and has developed an opportunity to excel in this market.

What Market Say About Fantasy Sports App?

Learning about the market of fantasy sports apps can help you improve your perception of developing an app.

Market stats act as the current environment in the fantasy sports app industry to acknowledge competition and other related parameters one should consider before developing an app.

• According to a latest report by Market Research, the fantasy sports service sector will reach 30.4 billion dollars in the year 2024 and expected to reach 69.9 billion dollars by the year 2033.

• According to the survey of August 2022, there are certain most popular fantasy sports app platforms, including ESPN, Yahoo, and Draftkings. The ESPN Sports app is preferred by 65% of the respondents.
• During May 2021, only 6% of the U.S. respondents aged 65 and above stated that they played fantasy sports, while 70% of respondents between 18 to 39 said that they enjoyed playing fantasy sports.

• Based on the above graph, it can be noted that users between the ages of 18 to 25 had a slight preference for Draftking Fantasy.
• While people aged 26–35 have a preference for FanDuel Fantasy sports.
• However, according to reports from the New York Times, 43% of fantasy sports players regularly use the ESPN Fantasy Game app to play. While 13% like Yahoo Fantasy.

Do you know, that people using the ESPN fantasy sports app have created over 17.6 million teams?

Yes, this is how the fantasy sports app’s popularity grows.

Types of Fantasy Sports Apps

Before learning how to develop a fantasy sports app, it is important to know the types of fantasy apps that can help you to decide the kind of fantasy sports app to build in the competitive market.

Selecting the right type of app is important to improve your app’s presence in the market. Let’s learn more about the same.

• Daily Fantasy Sports Apps (DFS)

In DFS app the users are allowed to develop the team daily and weekly. However, the users can select their team members based on the tracks of everyone’s performance and progress.

DFS offers contests that typically last for one day or a few days. Users are allowed to draft new teams for quick play and each contest.

• General Fantasy Sports App

General fantasy sports apps are built to cover a wide range of sports including football, hockey, soccer, basketball, cricket, and more. Users are free to create teams and play leagues anytime, anywhere they want.

Such kind of app provides one platform where different kinds of sports are played under one app. Check out the CBS Fantasy Sports and Sleeper app to learn more.

• Season Long Fantasy App

These types of fantasy sports are developed targeting users who prefer traditional fantasy sports. Here the users draft the team at the beginning of the season and manage it throughout the whole sports season.

Season fantasy games are based on a single sports season, where they manage their teams throughout the specific seasons.

• Social Fantasy Sports App

Social fantasy sports apps are targeted to invite friends and family to gaming leagues through the applications of social media. Such kinds of apps are built with a chatbox to communicate with teammates while playing the games.

• Betting-Focused Fantasy Apps

Within the betting-focused fantasy apps, the users place wagers over the different aspects of the sports. The apps are built to allow the users to place bets on the other players who are actually playing on the field.

Betting-focused apps are particularly built for betting and they are not legal in every region. Thus, they often face legal issues in some regions.

• Casual Fantasy Apps

Casual fantasy apps are developed to enjoy the simplified gameplay experience and to make them more accessible for sports fans.

Such apps offer auto-draft features, with less intensive management of leagues and sports. They are used just to provide the sports and gaming experience to the users.

How Does Fantasy Sports App Work?

Now, you have in-depth knowledge about the types of fantasy sports apps. A procedure of fantasy sports app workings can help you to create a fantasy app.

Here, you will have detailed guidance about the working process of how to develop a fantasy sports app. Let’s begin with how such apps work.

1. Authentication and Verification

After downloading the app, one of the important procedures is authentication and verification which can be done through mobile and email.

It is the first step where the registration process takes place. Here the user selects a name and password after providing some personal information.

2. Select a Match or Game

If you have downloaded a multi-user fantasy app then here you have to decide the match and type of game you want to play. Decide the game captain along with the players in your team.

The fantasy apps are built on the real players that are playing in the particular game. Hence you can select the team player based on the real-player sports efficiency.

3. Team Management

In this step, you have to manage the team. You can decide which player is going to play first and manage their leagues accordingly.

This management can be possible until the users are allowed to modify and adjust their team as per the requirements of the team.

Some of the apps have the feature of a tracking tool, where the captain can have a whole report of the adjacent player.

4. Scoring and Performance Tracking

Here, the user can identify the current score of the actual player and can decide the player in the game accordingly. A user can track the statistical performance of the athletes on each user’s fantasy team.

The points are awarded based on the performance of the selected athletes such as goals, strikes, and touchdowns.

5. Head-to-Head Competition and Rankings

Head-to-head competition is driving against each other within the leagues, which is based on the fantasy team’s performance.

The leagues may offer overall standings over the leaderboard useful to track the cumulative performance of the player. Moreover, rankings are defined by the user’s team’s performance within the game.

6. Prizes and Awards

Such applications are made in a way that will reward the team with extra points when the game ends.

Certain apps offer prize money along with rewards to the top-performing teams including cash prizes, trophies, and bragging rights. Here, the prizes can be determined by league commissioners.

Why Develop Fantasy Sports App?

Till now, a comprehensive guide to fantasy sports app development has provided you with in-depth insights into the fantasy sports market, types of fantasy apps, and the working process of the apps along the concept.

Do you know that the first fantasy app was created in 1950 and that was a golf game app?

Okrent (the first fantasy app developer) has never thought about its popularity in the future. The growth of the fantasy sports app market says it all. Let’s dive into some more reasons to create a fantasy sports app.

A. Growing Market

One of the most important and most effective scenarios to develop an app is market growth. The fantasy sports market industry has seen significant growth globally which can be a reason to make a fantasy sports app.

The growing interest of users within the fantasy sports leagues has resulted in market expansion and an opportunity to create an app.

B. Revenue Generation

With the growing market, the scope of earning revenue also grows. The development of the fantasy sports app process can be a very successful venture.

Multiple types of contests offer a wide chance to win cash and other prizes. You can check the monetization model at the end of the blog to learn how to earn money by developing a fantasy sports app.

C. A Large Fan Base

Build a fantasy sports app that can retain and acquire a large fan base. With a large fan base, you can gather a vast amount of data that can be part of your monetization process.

Moreover, by connecting to a large audience, you can promote your app and increase its market presence.

D. Customization and Innovation

App creation offers you an opportunity to innovate and create an advanced app that can provide your business with a competitive advantage.

You can add unique features and can customize the app based on the user’s interest. To differentiate your app from that of your competitors, hire mobile app developers who can provide you with the right guidance to develop a unique app for users.

E. High User Engagement

The fantasy sports app craze has increased among youngsters and has provided a wide opportunity for improving users.

Moreover, these apps are built to increase the whole fan experience by enabling users to manage and build their fantasy teams. It also lets the fans feel more connected and provides them with a social connectivity platform.

F. Global Reach

Develop a fantasy app that can encourage you to provide a global reach. The appeal of fantasy sports app development is growing at a high speed.

You can tap into a variety of marketplaces by connecting with sports fans all over the world. Create a flexible fantasy sports app that can be regionally tailored through the aid of localization and customization features.

Popular Fantasy Sports Apps Worldwide

With the need to create the fantasy sports app, you might have understood the reasons. The statistics provided a current market picture to develop an app.

By knowing the popular fantasy apps, you will better understand the features that you must include in your fantasy app.

• CBS Fantasy Sports App

This is among the multiple sports apps and provides popular sports including basketball, baseball, and hockey.

CBS Sports app is built with community and social interaction features, where you can successfully develop coordination with friends and other players through the app. They also provide the user with liver score alerts to wisely select the player.

• ESPN Fantasy Sports App

ESPN fantasy sports app is based on the real players’ work, here the statistics are generated from the real games, and fantasy points are awarded based on these numbers.

Here, the points are based on the players, the better they perform, the more points they accrue for the fantasy team. Develop an app like ESPN where users can create teams and play games including football, women’s basketball, and others.

• Draft Kings

Draft King is an American daily fantasy sports company. In this app, users are allowed to enter daily and weekly to play games. The app has gained popularity as it boasts massive winnings.

Different kinds of sports are played in the app including golf, soccer, football, and hockey. It is also a betting company where users can bet on the players and other users’ players as well.

• FanDuel

FanDuel is one of the biggest sites to play daily fantasy sports. It is an American gambling company that also offers sports books, horse racing, and online casinos.

The basic games in the app are free to use and some of the leagues are paid. Here, users can create imaginary teams of real players belonging to professional sports and play against other users.

• Sleeper App

Sleeper provides their users with the fantasy experience to play football. The app provides the player with customized scoring settings.

Here, the user begins with drafting the team by selecting two to eight statistical player projections. If you’re looking to develop a fantasy app like Sleeper, this app is ranked highly on the Google Play Store, as it provides a feasible option to play your favorite football sports.

• NFL Fantasy

NFL Fantasy provides users with the option to select from two types of leagues, including NFL-managed and NFL custom. All the NFL fantasy football leagues feature official NFL stats and highlights that improve the gameplay.

All NFL-managed leagues are free for users to join the match from anywhere and anytime. While in the custom league, customizable scoring is present.

Features that Make Fantasy Apps Popular

With the ultimate guide to fantasy sports app development, you must have know about the types, needs, and market size.

Now, the question is what features to include when you are building a fantasy sports app?

Well, to answer it, here is the list of features to include in the fantasy sports app suitable for you to achieve success to build a fantasy sports app.

1) User-Friendly Structure

The app structure of popular fantasy sports is simple to use. It allows users to quickly build teams and manage lineups with an easy-to-navigate interface. A clean and hassle-free, intuitive user interface is essential for any app’s success.

2) Simple Login Functionality

User authentication after downloading the app is important to maintain privacy in the app and to protect their data from cybercrime. The popular fantasy apps use email login and biometric login functions to improve user authentication and end-to-end encryption.

3) Push Notification

Another important feature that can be found within popular fantasy apps is push notification. The implementation of the push notification helps to notify the user with timely updates, reminders, and alerts regarding the coming events and games.

4) Real-Time scoring

It has been observed that the famous fantasy sports app provides live scoring updates based on the actual performance of the user in the game. Here, the app developers use API to fetch the details of real-time players and other relevant traits to play fantasy sports.

5) Social Sharing

The fantasy games apps have an in-built social integration platform. With the help of such a platform, the users can share their playing scores and can communicate easily through the feature. This feature keeps the players connected.

6) Customizable Team and Lineup Management

The feature of customized team management helps the users manage the teams and the players according to their choice. It enables the users to form a team using the stats of the real-time players. These apps have the feature of drag and drop player selection along with filters.

7) Performance History

Popular fantasy apps are developed in a way that the users can check their performance history anytime and anywhere. By observing the performance history, users can enable the team selection process. It is a great feature for the fantasy sports enthusiast.

8) Payment Gateway Selection

Integration with the secure payment gateways to enable transactions for entry fees, prizes, and in-app purchases along with the monetization features ensures smooth and secure financial transactions. The secure payment gateway integration builds users’ trust.

9) A Simple Beginners Guide

A beginner in the field of fantasy sports can check the beginner’s guide that can help them understand the rules to play such games. An in-app guide is provided by the fantasy sports apps related to the features and keys to use while playing the game.

10) Ads Management

Ads indeed provide a great monetization tool for fantasy sports apps to improve their popularity. Sometimes ads irritate users to restrict them from playing. This can even become the reason to uninstall the app. Therefore the top app provides a feature to manage ads.

How to Make Money with Fantasy Sports Apps?

Having a business can be an interesting idea unless you are making a loss. Hence, you need the right app monetization method that can assist you in the procedure of app development. Here are some of the strategies that you can undertake:

1. In-App Advertising Feature

Implement an in-app advertising feature in the app. It can help you post ads in different ways, including banner ads, and native ads that are useful to generate revenue.

Run the ads that can be based on the number of clicks within the app. Here, you can run targeted ads by leveraging user data and engagement metrics.

2. Entry Fees

It is the most common monetization strategy. Here, users pay entry fees to participate in leagues and contests. The strategy has a vast potential to generate significant revenue during popular sports sessions. A portion of such fees can be allocated to prize pools. You can also offer a buy-in level that caters to diversified user budgets and preferences.

3. Premium Features on Extra Pay

The feature can be for users who can pay extra for premium services. Here, you can offer advanced analytics, player rankings, and customized reports for a subscription fee.

It is one of the monetization models that adds to the user experience while also generating high revenue. Here, you can also offer expert advice by charging extra from the user.

4. Sponsorships and Partnerships

Try to collaborate with sports teams, leagues, brands, and media outlets to secure sponsorship deals, licensing agreements, and partnerships. For instance, you can contact sports accessories providers and ask them to sponsor a league or game. They can also offer some cash rewards that can encourage users to play games.

5. Affiliate Marketing

It is one of the best sources of income. Here, you can earn a commission by promoting the products of third parties.

You can collaborate with sports equipment, and merchandise along with the sports betting platforms to earn a commission for each sale and referral. Try to connect with sports merchandise retailers, streaming services, and ticketing platforms to earn commission.

6. Data Licensing

After you know how to make a fantasy sports app, you will collect a vast amount of data about your users. This data can be helpful further in building reports based on the number of preferences of the users regarding sports and the number of bets on a particular sports app.

These reports can be sold in exchange for revenue to the sports brands. Here, you need to ensure the privacy of the app users by securing their data.

A Complete Development Process of Fantasy Sports Apps

Do you know that popular fantasy sports app companies have studied the process of how to create a fantasy sports app?

Yes, this is the right way to develop a fantasy app with all the traits by avoiding mistakes to build one. After understanding all the basics of the fantasy sports app, here we are to answer how to create a fantasy sports app.

A process of app development depicts a step-by-step guide to fantasy sports app development. Check out the guide below.

Step 1. Identify the Target Audience

The first step towards app development is identifying the target audience. Here, you should understand who will be the actual user of the app. Decide on the type of fantasy app that you want to make.

Further, you need to decide the types of sports that you can include within the app. Identifying the target user can help you in designing the app as by knowing their interest you can plan all the features and monetization model.

Step 2. Market Research

In this step, you should know the market and the current market stats. It can help you to define what the actual demand of your target audience is. This phase is also useful for understanding the market competition and identifying the differences or gaps that you can utilize to achieve success.

Market research can help you to develop a distinct value proposition for the app that you want to create. With the identified gaps you can be innovative about the features that can attract the user to select the app.

Step 3. Select the App Design

Here you need to hire mobile app developers to assist you in the process of selecting a suitable design for the type of fantasy app. A design and a wireframe matter most, as they decide how the app will look when it becomes available for download.

Make a fantasy sports app that has an interactive UI/UX design. The interface should be visually appealing hence you need to pay attention to usability and also need to make it easy for the users to navigate via different sections of the app.

Step 4. Choose the Right Backend

The step prompts you to select the suitable tech stack for your app. The tech stack should be selected based on the interface and wireframe that you have developed in the previous step. With the robust backend infrastructure select the language of the backend.

Hire Android developers and hire iOS developers to learn how backend development can impact fantasy sports app development. Know different languages of the backend, and their impacts and then opt for one.

Step 5. Testing of the App

One of the important procedures due to which most of the apps fail is testing. Inadequate testing can result in increasing complexity for the user to use the app. Thus, before launch, ensure that the app gets tested.

During testing of the mobile app, ensure the security features, performance, and app functionality. You can also conduct usability testing with real users to gather feedback and improve the app. Additionally, you should always keep track of the market trends before the launch of an app.

Step 6. Launch and Deployment

The next process is launch. Here, you need to check the compatibility of your app on different platforms, such as Android and iOS, to check the usability of the app on these platforms. After a check-in process, launch the app with a suitable date and time.

You can also promote the launch of the app as it can help you market the app. Engage with the target audience and build a community to attract the target users. You can also organize fantasy sports app events to promote your app.

Step 7. Monitor and Maintenance

Once your app is launched, the next step is to monitor the performance of the app. Learning the importance of mobile app maintenance can help you to create user engagement and to collect feedback from potential customers. Regularly observe the performance and reduce errors if found in the app usability.

Here, you also need to maintain the app. You can check the mobile app maintenance services that can enable you to keep track of the current app maintenance system.

How Much Does Fantasy Sports App Development Costs?

With a guide to build Fantasy Sports App Development, you might have come across the points that you know will require a high investment. Some of them are tech stack and building wireframes. A continuous app maintenance service is also a prominent cost-taking factor.

Well, to know the right cost estimate, you should have an idea about how much it cost to develop fantasy sports app.

The average cost to make a fantasy app can range from $20,000 to $60,000. However, certain factors impact the cost. These factors can be the complexity of the app, the platform you want to select, technology, design, and a development team.

Current Trends that can help you Make your Fantasy Sports App Better

Till now, you must have gotten a better idea through a complete guide to fantasy sports app development about your next app. So, what are you waiting for?

Well, you can check out some current trends that most app development companies are using to enhance the user experience. With new technology, it is important to stay updated. Here are some recent trends that you can add to your fantasy app.

A. AI in Sports Application

The current trend of Artificial Intelligence has revolutionized technology. Thus, the usage of AI within the app can foster the user experience. The use of AI can be helpful to your app users to get data-backed insights into the players and their performance.

C. Use of AR and VR

The use of augmented reality and Virtual reality within the app can offer immense experience to the users. Here, the app user can visualize player stats and view virtual stadiums and arenas during the live games. VR can provide users with a real experience to enhance their engagement.

C. Add Voice Commands and AI assistants

Try to add voice commands and search in the game to make the user experience better. The integration of voice recognition technology can enable the user to interact with the app hands-free. It allows users to manage teams and receive updates about players.

D. Improve Social Interaction

Within the game, you can increase social interaction by incorporating social gaming features. Such as multiplayer leagues, live chat, and group challenges by fostering a sense of community among users.

E. Personalization and Customization

Nowadays, personalization and customization have become evident. It is the core to winning the hearts of your end users. Personalize the features within the fantasy sports app that can enable the user to start the game as they desire. Allow users to build their team as they want.

Tips to Consider While Creating Fantasy Sports App

As we are heading towards the end of the blog and you have read the Fantasy Sports App Development Guide, there are still some important tips that we are providing to help you learn how to make a fantasy sports app.

The best practices to create a fantasy sports app are essential to knowing the methods for differentiating your app from competitors. Here is the list that you can follow:

1. Know your Audience

Never start creating an app without understanding your core audience. Otherwise, it can lead to failure. Set demographics and try to understand the behavior of the app user.

2. Develop a Scalable Architecture

Design the app architecture so that it can have robust backend infrastructure to enable it to handle varying levels of user traffic, future expansion, and data processing.

3. Compliance and Legal Considerations

Multiple countries do not allow wagering in fantasy sports apps. Thus, launch your app accordingly so that it can enable your app’s legal presence in certain regions.

4. Promote Community Engagement

The app should contain features that enable the user to ensure social interaction. Foster a sense of community engagement with interactive content and engagement activities such as live chat.

5. Implement Secure Authentication

Here, you need to ensure a secure authentication mechanism and encryption protocols with the user verification procedure to safeguard the user accounts and sensitive information.

6. Provide Streaming Solutions

Improve user engagement by providing streaming solutions to the user and by integrating live streaming. Here, you can also allow the user to connect over OTT platforms.

How Nimble AppGenie Can Be Your Partner in App Development?

Fantasy apps have grown popular due to the additional and updated features and the increasing use of technology. However, finding a company to develop a fantasy sports app can be a difficult and crucial task.

You need to check the cost, their experience, and a lot more.

Well, why don’t you head on to the best app development team?

Nimble AppGenie can be your trusted partner in fantasy app development. We have the experience of more than 7 years as a fantasy sports app development company.

Connect with out team and we will give you a 30-minutes free consultation to give you a perfect idea on how to develop your next Fantasy App and make it a success.

Conclusion

In the present blog, we have provided you with an overall guide on how to build a fantasy sports app. The market statistics provide details of the growing fantasy market and demand for apps.

You can build your app as it can generate high revenue and growth for your business.

You can decide the type of fantasy app among DFS, multi-sports game apps, and betting apps. The working of fantasy sports apps starts with user authentication and ends with winning prizes. With the popular apps and their features, you can identify the suitable features to add to the fantasy sports app.

FAQs

Niketan Sharma

Niketan Sharma is the CTO of Nimble AppGenie, a prominent website and mobile app development company in the USA that is delivering excellence with a commitment to boosting business growth & maximizing customer satisfaction. He is a highly motivated individual who helps SMEs and startups grow in this dynamic market with the latest technology and innovation.