Join Transform 2021 for the most important themes in enterprise AI & Data. Learn more.
Roblox will host a launch party for Why Don’t We, which is releasing its second album The Good Times and the Bad Ones. The party will take place on March 5 at 4 p.m. Pacific time inside the virtual world of Roblox.
Roblox wants to build the metaverse, and it’s a good candidate for that as it has 32.6 million people coming a day to play its games. But the metaverse is a universe of virtual worlds that are all interconnected, like in novels such as Snow Crash and Ready Player One. So the metaverse is supposed to be about more than just games, and that’s why you’re seeing album launches on Roblox.
Events like this one are part of why Roblox saw 82% growth in revenues last year and it is able to go public on March 10. Dave Baszucki, CEO of Roblox, talked about how he believes the metaverse will be built through user-generated content at our GamesBeat Summit: Into the Metaverse event last month.
Roblox and Epic Games both want to do the metaverse and so they’re both doing concerts and music events inside their game worlds to keep players coming to their worlds even when they don’t feel like playing games. Why Don’t We will do three additional performances throughout the weekend to give the global Roblox community an opportunity to enjoy this exclusive show.
Why Don’t We released the album earlier this year and earned their highest debut on the Billboard 200 at No. 3 and their first No. 1 album on the album sales chart. The album features the single Fallin’ (Adrenaline), which has amassed over 142 million streams and over 26 million video views since release.
Created by Warner Bros.’ Atlantic Records in partnership with a top Roblox developer, Melon Dev, the Why Don’t We Launch Party brings the band into the metaverse, Roblox said. This event is the first of many virtual events resulting from Warner Music Group’s investment in the popular gaming platform announced earlier this year as part of a $520 million funding.
Fans will get hear an exclusive live performance of the band’s most popular songs, shop for limited-edition virtual band merchandise, including digital avatars for each band member. Fans can also play minigames and complete fun quests prior to the first performance. In addition, the band will host a Q&A after the performance.
The band’s Zach Herron said they have spent a lot of hours on Roblox, and it will be fun to connect with fans in a community they know so well. It’s sort of like the next best thing to touring live.
Roblox previously hosted Ava Max Launch Party last fall, which was also developed in partnership with Atlantic Records. Paul Sinclair, general manager of Atlantic Records, said in a statement that the events help fans connect with artists and promotes their music in new ways. And in this case, the audience is a good match for the band, which has more than 750 million YouTube views to date.
Here’s the showtimes:
- Friday, March 5, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific
- Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific
- Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific
- Sunday, March 7, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific
GamesBeat
GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game industry is “where passion meets business.” What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. How will you do that? Membership includes access to:
- Newsletters, such as DeanBeat
- The wonderful, educational, and fun speakers at our events
- Networking opportunities
- Special members-only interviews, chats, and “open office” events with GamesBeat staff
- Chatting with community members, GamesBeat staff, and other guests in our Discord
- And maybe even a fun prize or two
- Introductions to like-minded parties
