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The Sun is the first UK newspaper to make its mark on the social gaming scene after launching ‘Sun Football Legends’ on Facebook today.

Sun Football Legends is The Sun’s first foray into the booming social gaming sector, typified by games such as Cityville and Farmville, and represents an expansion of the newspaper’s existing gaming portfolio which includes Sun Dream Team and Sun Bingo.

The game has a unique Role Playing Game (RPG) format in which the player steers a promising top-flight footballer through to legendary status by navigating a series of on-field skill-based tests and off-field antics, allowing every player to create their own unique experience.

Designed in partnership with social gaming company Enteraction, Sun Football Legends allows the player to dip in and dip out throughout their day. The game combines the humour and fun with the more colourful side of football, all delivered to the player through a unique daily edition of The Sun.

As with most social games, Sun Football Legends is free to play with customers given the option to make premium purchases for virtual goods and enhanced progression.

To start playing Sun Football Legends go to http://apps.facebook.com/sunfootballlegends

Rob Painter, Marketing Director, The Sun, says: “Social gaming on Facebook represents a fantastic opportunity for The Sun to further engage a large community built around our key editorial pillar of football.

“We are also seeing strong interest from commercial clients wanting to exploit the benefits of in-game advertising and branded virtual goods, so we are very excited to be making this first step into social gaming.”

Enteraction Managing Director Andy Rogers says: “We are hugely excited about launching this game with The Sun, and our innovative partnership with them. They have shown time and time again that they understand their audience and how to market products which exceed expectations. They are market leaders in other gaming sectors and we are confident that this will be no exception.”

Social marketing agency Jam have been working with News International and Enteraction on the development of Sun Football Legends and will be leading the acquisition campaign in November.