• by Colin Kirkland , August 22, 2023

Iconic K-pop girl group Blackpink -- the first Asian artists to headline the Coachella Music Festival -- will be coming to Roblox via a new immersive palace in which fans (or “Blinks”) can connect, join the party, dance, play games and experience various spaces designed around scenes from the band's most popular music videos.

Once inside, Blinks are invited to “take pictures with the band members' avatars, explore a majestic throne room, and earn in-experience currency to decorate and host Blackpink-themed parties for their friends,” explains YG Plus, a subsidiary of Blackpink's label YG Entertainment.

The palace also features subterranean caverns where users will be able to wield a hammer shaped like the band’s notable lightstick to smash crystals that can be used to upgrade their in-experience items.

To further the Blackpink branding, Blinks have the option to purchase the band’s signature outfits and emotes for their own avatars.

Once adorned in their favorite member’s style, they can try out the band's famed choreography.

The immersive world, which is set to premiere on August 25, was built by Karta, a metaverse studio whose goal is to “make brands playable.”

Karta has developed immersive Roblox and Fortnite worlds for major brands like Unilever, McDonald’s, and Amazon Music.

To celebrate the launch of “Blackpink the Palace,” YG Plus is giving a special badge to fans who access the experience within 24 hours of its opening. The badge will be displayed on users’ Roblox profiles.

Blackpink is the third K-pop group to embark on an immersive fan-hub on Roblox, preceded by boy group NCT 127 with “NCT 127 World,” and girl group Twice<  with “Twice Square,” which has amassed around 60 million visits over the past six months.