Matt House, CEO at SportQuake, is a key advisor behind major athlete-brand collaborations and helped to bring Cristiano Ronaldo into the relaunch of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. In this interview, Matt discusses the strategy behind the partnership, why athlete ambassadors matter, and where the future of athlete IP is headed.
Q1. You advised on Cristiano Ronaldo’s new role as ambassador for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. What made this deal stand out?
This was more than just another athlete ambassador play – it was a statement of intent.
As part of the Saudi MiSK Foundation acquiring Japanese game developer SNK, they wanted to put SNK back on the map and saw a first new instalment in the famous SNK Fatal Fury series in 26 years featuring Cristiano Ronaldo as the perfect way to do it. Big game, big ambition, big statement.
What made the deal stand out was the scale and vision for bringing back Fatal Fury. It wasn’t just CR7 helping with advertising and promotion. It was CR7 integrated into the game as a playable character. CR7 in the story. CR7 in the campaign. And all of this aligned with Fatal Fury sponsoring a series of boxing events around the world in key markets scheduled to coincide with the game’s launch.
MiSK Foundation came to us because they’d seen the work we did with Free Fire – back in 2020 – where we put together the original fire-starter deal that brought athletes into non-endemic gaming titles. They wanted to understand how that worked: rights, pricing, activation, everything. We advised on how to rebuild that framework for 2025 – helping them plan smarter, buy smarter, and execute at the level someone like CR7 demands.
We also brought in the right partners. There’s a lot of pressure when you’ve got CR7 on board-the production has to be world class. We helped MiSK secure a brilliant production partner to lead on this, including ideas and creativity.
Q2. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves was the first update in 26 years. Why are athlete ambassadors helpful in launching products?
When you’re bringing a legacy IP back to life, you need instant heat. That’s what CR7 gives you.
He brings massive reach – 910 million followers. But more than that, he brings cultural relevance. He lives across sport, fashion, gaming, and entertainment. He’s not just famous he moves culture. When CR7 talks, people listen.
That matters when you’re bringing back a product. You’re not just trying to launch a game – you’re trying to launch momentum. CR7 helped do that. Not just through a couple of social posts, but as a properly integrated asset in-game, in the storyline, and in the broader campaign, from fight nights to global promos.
That kind of setup builds awareness, interest, and most importantly attention.
Q3. How do you measure success in an ambassador partnership like this?
We look at both the short-term impact and the long-term brand movement.
On day one, it’s the classic KPIs: reach, engagement, media coverage, and traffic around key beats like launch announcements, trailer drops, and of course product sales – but that’s just the start.
The real measure is how an ambassador shifts perception and builds value over time-whether the brand grows in relevance, whether it opens up new markets, and whether it can sustain the attention and fandom that gets unlocked. With CR7 and Fatal Fury, we’re already seeing that. From early UGC content between Ronaldo and DJ Ganacci, to the game’s presence at major KSA fight nights – it’s part of a cultural movement, not just a media moment.
Q4. What do brands often get wrong when choosing an ambassador?
They confuse fame with fit.
Just because someone has a big following doesn’t mean they’re the right person for the job. You need alignment. You need strategy. You need to know why this person fits your story-and how to use them properly.
The best deals are built on proper planning and buying. You know what rights you need. You know how to use them. You pay the right price, and you know how to protect yourself if form dips or the narrative shifts.
In our experience, the best ambassador deals happen when the talent is as bought-in as the brand. That’s when the creative works. That’s when the audience feels it.
Q5. Looking ahead, where do you see the ambassador model going next?
At a basic level, there’s going to be more money going into athlete IP and athlete channels as brands look to take advantage of their growing reach and influence. And it’s speeding up. With a new generation of stars brought up on social media, we’re going to see more innovation and creativity-and that, in turn, will drive more brand involvement in a virtuous cycle.
Beyond straight endorsement deals, we’re going to see more athlete-founded brands and athlete-founded service companies as the next generation monetises their personal brands.
Get in touch with our team to explore how we can help you create powerful brand partnerships.