• by Colin Kirkland , November 5, 2024

On Friday night, Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice performed a surprise concert in Times Square for thousands of fans, integrating promotional material into classic song lyrics for the popular metaverse game Fortnite. The live concert, which was broadcast within the game as well, marked the launch of a new Fortnite season and a deeper connection between Epic Games and the music industry. 

Fortnite has a history of integrating famous musicians into the platform, airing virtual concerts from Ariana Grande, Metallica, The Weeknd, Kid Cudi, J Balvin, and Travis Scott, which attracted over 12 million viewers. 

However, while these past launches have been singular experiences, the platform’s Snoop Dogg show not only encompassed an IRL component, but marked the start of a month-long in-game experience. 

“This is a partnership,” Snoop said during an interview after the show. “Most games just want one song and you don’t even see the artist. So for them to let us be a part of the game, and that community, it’s deep.”

The game’s new season – “Chapter 2 Remix” -- features Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and the late Juice WLRD. Each artist will enter the game for one week of November, ushering in new themed skins, gameplay locations, and other custom elements like emotes, radio stations, Snoop Dogg-themed guitars and drum sets, and a gun that raps Eminem lyrics. 

Fortnite first started experimenting with expanded artist partnerships when launching “Fortnite Festival” seasons with Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga.

“If you look at all of the things we did prior, they tended to be more one-off,” says Nate Nanzer, head of global partnerships at Fortnite. “We’d do an event, and then months or even years would go by before we did something else. What ‘Festival’ did was give us this venue to be able to celebrate music more regularly.”

Nanzer added that Fortnite aims to work with the biggest artists while also figuring out if it can successfully use the game as a place where emerging artists can be discovered.