April showers bring May flowers. But, for Clash of Clans fans, May brings even more. To the delight of these video gamers and soccer fans alike, Erling Haaland will be featured in the game as “The Barbarian King.”
Erling Haaland, well-known striker for Manchester City, offered this up right before the May 1 release: “It’s been tough to keep this one quiet, but I’m excited to finally be able to talk about this epic partnership with Clash of Clans.” Continuing, he added, “I’ve been a huge fan of the game for a long time and know everything about it, so to appear as an in-game character is really cool.”
It is more than cool. In fact, Erling Haaland is the first person to get committed as a character based on his own likeness! While it may not last forever, this Norwegian will enjoy the title of a Barbarian King for the rest of the month.
Reacting to the news is EHS junior and soccer fan Marbella Mendoza. “It’s really exciting to hear that a soccer player such as Haaland got featured to be in a game and be a one-of-a-kind character!” Mendoza, who had not been a Clash of Clans player before, thinks that she will join in the game. “It will be super thrilling to try out! ”
This is exactly what Finnish developer SuperCell was hoping for. Sliding in popularity since its inception in 2012, the company was seeking a way to draw more players back in to its mobile strategy video game. For the moment, their plan appears to be working.
For those like Mendoza who have little knowledge about Clash of Clans, it is an online, multiplayer game where each player becomes a “village chief.” The chiefs use their “resources” to both train their troops and also attack other villages. The goal is to acquire more resources and win trophies. As the name would suggest, players can also form communities called “clans,” which can be as small as just two players or as massive as 50. While most take advantage of the “clan” aspect, others prefer to go it alone.
With Erling Haaland, the Barbarian King, entering into this mix, it will be interesting to track the rise in popularity of a game that many had thought would drift into extinction this year.
