Fresh off the continued global success of Phasmophobia, Kinetic Games has announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Southampton Football Club, marking a major milestone for both the developer and the city it calls home.
The partnership sees Kinetic Games bringing its ghost-hunting hit into the real world, with Phasmophobia branding now featured throughout St. Mary’s Stadium, home of the Saints, including big-screen displays and interview backdrops.
It’s a rare crossover between video games and football that highlights how far the Southampton-based studio has come since launching its breakout horror title.
A Homegrown Partnership With Deep Roots
Founded in 1885, Southampton FC is one of the lmost established of all football clubs (we would say that, we’re season ticket holders too!), making this collaboration a meaningful one for Kinetic Games, which was founded in the city in 2020.
Rather than a distant corporate deal, this sponsorship is rooted in shared local identity. Kinetic Games CEO and Phasmophobia Game Director Daniel Knight described the moment as both personal and surreal, reflecting the studio’s rapid rise from indie beginnings to international success.
I’ve been a lifelong fan of Southampton FC, so being able to sponsor the club I’ve followed for years is a surreal experience,” said Daniel Knight, CEO of Kinetic Games and Game Director of Phasmophobia. “It also shows how far we’ve come as a studio. Being able to support a football team like this is something we never anticipated as an option for us, and we’re just so grateful to our players for allowing Phasmophobia to reach the heights it has today.”
The studio’s horror phenomenon surpassed 25 million sales during 2025 alone, helping fuel this next phase of growth and community investment.
Phasmophobia Steps Out Of The Shadows
For fans, the most visible result of the deal is seeing Phasmophobia’s unmistakable ghostly imagery woven into matchday life at St. Mary’s. But behind the scenes, the sponsorship signals something bigger, with a studio actively reinvesting in the place that shaped it.
Southampton FC echoed that sentiment, praising Kinetic Games as a homegrown creative success story that mirrors the club’s own values around passion, ambition, and innovation.
“We’re pleased to partner with Kinetic Games, a homegrown studio that embodies the same passion and innovation we champion here at Southampton Football Club,” says Greg Baker, Chief Revenue Officer for Southampton Football Club. “This collaboration underlines our belief in local talent and our shared vision to help put Southampton’s creative and tech sectors on the global map.”
More Than Football – Investing In The Local Scene
The Southampton FC sponsorship is just one part of Kinetic Games’ wider plans for 2026.
Alongside continued development on Phasmophobia, the studio has confirmed several community-focused initiatives designed to nurture local talent and creativity.
These include:
- Support for local charities and foundations
- A game development internship programme aimed at aspiring developers
- Continued expansion of Kinetic Publishing, the studio’s new publishing arm supporting emerging indie teams
It’s a clear shift from survival success story to established industry leader, without losing sight of its roots.
What’s Next For Phasmophobia?
Looking ahead, Kinetic Games has a busy year planned. Phasmophobia is targeting its long-awaited 1.0 launch in 2026, alongside an upcoming release on Nintendo Switch 2, expanding its reach beyond PC and consoles even further.
Currently available on PC, Xbox Series X|S (here’s your Xbox Store link) and PlayStation 5, Phasmophobia has already cemented its place as one of the most distinctive multiplayer horror experiences around.
As we previously explored in our feature asking Is Phasmophobia the Scariest Game on Xbox?, it’s that blend of tension, unpredictability, and shared fear that keeps players coming back. Or, as we put it at the time:
“It’s a genuine horror experience, enjoyed with others, but with oodles of replayability thanks to random elements, as well as daily and weekly challenges.”
With real-world sponsorships, community investment, and major releases on the horizon, Phasmophobia’s influence is now being felt well beyond haunted houses, right at the heart of Southampton itself.
