In Brief
- SKALE Network, the PGA TOUR, and the NODE Foundation are partnering to bring Solis Interactive’s PGA TOUR RISE to mobile.
- What the game is: A free-to-play strategy/empire-building golf game focused on building and managing golf operations, competing for resources, and progressing through upgrades.
SKALE Network has signed a licensing-driven partnership with the PGA TOUR and the NODE Foundation to bring PGA TOUR Rise, a free-to-play golf game, to mobile devices. This is another attempt to translate a major sports brand into a Web3-native game economy without forcing mainstream players to learn crypto first.
The game, being developed and published by Solis Interactive, is framed as a strategy “empire-building” title rather than a traditional shot-by-shot golf simulator. Players will build and manage golf operations, compete for resources in a real-time global environment, and acquire gear—clubs, balls, apparel and more—through an integrated marketplace.
“This collaboration showcases how blockchain can elevate gaming and sports experience by combining the prestige of the PGA TOUR with true ownership through crypto digital assets,” SKALE Labs CEO and Co-founder, Jack O’Holleran, said. “With the PGA Tour’s popularity, we view this as an opportunity to onboard the next 10 million users into Web3 gaming.”
What’s launching, and when
According to the official announcement shared with BlockFirms:
- First minigame: Released in 2025
- Full release: targeted for early 2026
- Pre-registration and limited “loot box” presale: the site markets paid boxes (e.g., $1 “Rare,” $5 “Epic”) and says early boxes are limited to the first 5,000 sign-ups before February 28, 2026.
How SKALE fits in (and why “gas-free” is central to the pitch)
The core infrastructure claim is straightforward: in-game items will be minted as crypto digital assets on SKALE, and SKALE’s “zero gas fee” model is being used to avoid the per-transaction costs that can make frequent in-game trading painful on many chains.
The announcement also positions this title as an early flagship for SKALE Expand v1 on Base, which SKALE describes as a first step in its multi-chain strategy connecting into the Base ecosystem while keeping “gas-free” UX as the selling point.
Separately, the partners say players will be able to buy items using credit card or crypto deposits, a familiar onboarding pattern for Web3 consumer products trying to reach non-crypto audiences (though the exact payment providers and rollout details weren’t specified in the materials provided).
Real-world rewards: discounts and merchandise (not at launch)
A notable component is the promised bridge from digital items to real-world perks. The partners say that through planned collaborations with golf equipment manufacturers, players will be able to earn discount codes and exclusive merchandise, but that these benefits are not expected to be available immediately at launch.
What is PGA TOUR Rise, exactly—and why it matters
PGA TOUR Rise is being positioned as an officially licensed PGA TOUR game where progression is less about perfecting a swing mechanic and more about building an operation: constructing courses, recruiting talent, upgrading gear, and trading items with other players.
From a sports-business perspective, what matters is less the genre shift and more the distribution thesis: a mainstream sports brand is attaching its licensing power to a Web3 economy design, while SKALE is betting that “no gas fees” plus conventional payment rails can keep blockchain from feeling like an obstacle.
This is also not the first time the PGA TOUR has tested the concept. In August 2024, a prior announcement tied Stratton Studios and Chain Games to PGA TOUR Rise, with minigames originally discussed for late 2024 and a full launch targeting 2026.
Solis Interactive’s own materials say its journey began as Stratton Studios in 2017 (with Stratton continuing as a partner), suggesting the current effort is an evolution in packaging and platform strategy rather than a brand-new concept.
A brief note on the NODE Foundation
The announcement also includes the NODE Foundation, which is associated with the SKALE ecosystem. Public materials have previously described SKALE collaborating with a Liechtenstein-based “Network of Decentralized Economics (NODE)” foundation in ecosystem initiatives.
How this compares with earlier sports + Web3 playbooks
If this sounds familiar, it is. Over the last few years, leagues have experimented with blockchain-based collectibles and fantasy products that lean on official licensing:
- NBA Top Shot (NBA/NBPA + Dapper Labs) helped popularize the “digital ownership” pitch for sports fans by turning highlights into tradable collectibles.
- MLB + Sorare launched an officially licensed NFT-based free-to-play game built around collecting and using player cards.
- NBA + Sorare similarly launched an officially licensed fantasy basketball product with digital collectibles.
- NFL Rivals (NFL/NFLPA + Mythical Games) brought the same idea into an arcade-style mobile format with digital ownership elements.
FIFA has also licensed a mobile title in the same broad category of blockchain-enabled sports games (though the implementation details vary by project):
- In 2025, FIFA launched free-to-play mobile game FIFA Rivals, an officially licensed mobile game announced with Mythical Games. FIFA Rivals delivers an arcade-style football experience with gamers building their dream teams and attempting to dominate their rivals by competing in live events and PvP leagues.
The pattern is consistent: official IP + free-to-play distribution + “own/trade” mechanics. What SKALE and the PGA TOUR appear to be emphasizing here is the transaction-frequency problem: if the marketplace and upgrades are central to progression, then removing per-transaction fees becomes a primary UX argument rather than a technical footnote.
More From BlockFirms
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Read our Editorial Policy. Parts of this article were drafted/ researched with the assistance of AI tools and subsequently reviewed, edited, and verified by the author and our editorial team to ensure accuracy and journalistic integrity. The final version reflects human editorial judgment and fact-checking. Read our AI Policy.
Image Credits: PGA TOUR RISE, Canva
