''Hattrick'' is a

browser-based A web application (or web app) is application software that is accessed using a web browser. Web applications are delivered on the World Wide Web to users with an active network connection. History In earlier computing models like client-serve ...

massively multiplayer online A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players, often hundreds or thousands, on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent open world, although there are ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...

developed in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and launched on 30 August 1997. The game contains 144 different countries plus the Hattrick International (only for paying HT-Supporters), each with its own

league pyramid League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

, and 53 different language versions. As of October 8th 2022, the community of the game has 201,895 users worldwide, each with their own

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...

. The number peaked in February 2009 with almost one million users. ''Hattrick'' has arranged 82 seasons as of November 2022, each lasting four months. The game is free to play, though there is an optional premium supporter service that provides additional features, as well as a mobile service, both available by in-game purchase. As with any manager game, the player must assign positions to the players and choose among various tactical and strategic options. As stated by third-party

web analytics Web analytics is the measurement, data collection, collection, analysis, and reporting of web Data (computing), data to understand and optimize web usage. Web analytics is not just a process for measuring web traffic but can be used as a tool fo ...

providers

Alexa Alexa may refer to: Technology *Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon * Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service * Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera People *Alexa (name), a given name and ...

and

SimilarWeb SimilarWeb Ltd. is an Israeli web analytics company specializing in web traffic and performance. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, the company has 12 offices worldwide. Similarweb went public on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2021. History The c ...

, ''Hattrick'' is rated as the 360th and 584th most visited website in Italy respectively. SimilarWeb rates the site as the most visited

fantasy sports A fantasy sport (also known less commonly as rotisserie or roto) is a game, often played using the Internet, where participants assemble imaginary or virtual teams composed of proxies of real players of a professional sport. These teams compete bas ...

website globally, attracting almost 4.6 million visitors per month.

Gameplay

Gameplay revolves around managing a

team, tasking the player with buying and selling players, setting the team's lineup, or expanding the arena to the perfect size, with each player having a team of their own. Many different types of teams exist within ''Hattrick'', with team types shaped by the training program set up by the player, as well as the formations played. Each included country has a league, which is divided into series. The series below the main divisions are also groups, where teams play each other in two legs, the number of sets and groups are defined according to the number of users in the country. Each included country also has a national cup that is played by all teams through a knockout system. The winners of the top division and cup of each country gain spots in the Hattrick Masters.

Development

In April 2012, Hattrick Holdings was purchased by Zattikka, a casual gaming developer based in the United Kingdom, as part of its strategy to acquire established but "under-exploited" online games. As a preparation for the sale to Zattikka, the developers declared that they would not improve core features of the game for the foreseeable future (for example, postponing the announced new staff system), but instead focus on improving the experience for newer players coming into the game, as well as attracting new members and adding things, such as Hattrick gears, that users can pay for. The philosophy to not be able to pay for success still stands. In August 2013 the former owner group of ''Hattrick'' (which includes HT-Johan and HT-Daniel) reached an agreement with Zattikka to buy back the game.

Reception

''Hattrick'' has been studied academically, for example being used in a

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

case study into whether online simulation games, such as ''Hattrick'', could be used as a business model for online betting and gambling businesses. The conclusion was ''"Online gambling on simulated sport events is a very interesting proposition with good prospects in the future; further research and piloting projects are however needed before one can give any conclusive answer to the actual future value of such services."'' It has also been used as the basis for a

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Tartu, Estonia Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

in 2007.

History

Hattrick was launched on 30 August 1997. Initially, Swedish was the only language available. In early 2000, the game development company Hattrick Extralives was founded. In May 2001, the company presented Hattrick Supporter, a premium service that would be the main source of income for the company. In February 2008, Hattrick launched a board game called Match of the Season. In 2011, Hattrick was voted the Most Favourite Simulation Game of 2011.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://hattrick.org 1997 video games Association football management video games Internet in Sweden Internet properties established in 1997 Video games developed in Sweden Browser-based multiplayer online games Massively multiplayer online role-playing games Free online games Online text-based role-playing games