Yes, you read that correctly. It’s not news that the music business wants in on that money. For years there have been collaborations across industries, including soundtracks for games like Grand Theft Auto IV way back in 2008 and ongoing partnerships spanning well over a decade to provide music for sports franchises like Madden and NBA 2K. But over the past two years, that relationship has rapidly expanded, reaching a fever pitch during the pandemic when gaming, in general, exploded around the world as people were confined to their homes and artists looked for new revenue streams (think Travis Scott partnering with Fortnite and Lil Nas X working with Roblox). Now many are wondering where this leads next. For rights holders, lawsuits are shifting to cooperation, most recently with the NMPA ...
Over the past several years, the music industry has opened its eyes to gaming as a new way to connect with fans and drive revenue. In-game performances offer multiple revenue streams to artists, from up-front payments to virtual goods and a streaming spike for the artist’s music that tends to follow an in-game show. Compared to “Astronomical,” Grande’s performance is less visually chaotic, with fewer scene changes, and has an expanded focus on the player experience. In Grande’s world — which looks like if the Lisa Frank brand were an entire planet — players aren’t just watching the show, but actively participating in it, a key element that will be part of future experiences, according to Phil Rampulla, head of brand at Epic Games, Fortnite‘s parent company. “You’ll ...
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jason Koerner / Getty Epic Games is definitely not reading the room following this discovery. As spotted on The Verge, data miners made an interesting find while digging deep into Fortnite’s v17.30 update released on Tuesday (Aug.3) morning. A file containing audio for a new emote from The Migos latest track, “AM to PM,” which features currently embattled Hip-Hop star DaBaby, was discovered. If you have no clue what is going on with the North Carolina Hip-Hop star, he has been embroiled in controversy following his headass homophobic comments toward people with HIV and AIDS he blurted out during his Rolling Loud Miami performance. Instead of apologizing, DaBaby doubled down on his comments leading to “DaBookings” and “DaBags” being fumbled. DaBaby has sai...
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: VALERIE MACON / Getty Watch out Loki. The real King is coming to Fortnite. Monday (Jul.13), Epic Games revealed that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will be bringing his talents to the world of Battle Royale in Fortnite as part of the game’s Icon Series of skins. The announcement of James’ sharp-looking skin or skins, we should say, is perfectly aligned with the release of Bron’s new film Space Jam: A New Legacy, you know, the film that is not a sequel to 1997’s Space Jam starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes. When James arrives in the game, he will be featured in three variants. One look pays homage to the professional hooper’s favorite day, Taco Tuesday, which sees him rocking a taco t-shirt and cargo shorts. Another look that...
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Bruno Mars and silky smooth dance moves are coming to Fortnite. Epic Games announced Silk Sonic crooner’s dance skills would be coming to the game as an Icon Series Emote. Bruno Mars shared the news with a post on his Instagram account featuring the singer, masked-up, dancing alongside a Fortnite character to the Anderson .Paak assisted single “Leave The Door Open.” In the caption for the post, Mars wrote, “Yo @fortnite let ya uncle Brunz teach ya how to swang to this thang.” Bruno Mars’ emote joins the likes of the Fornite floss which is considered one of the most well-known Emotes of all time. According to a press release, Mars partnered with Epic Games exclusively for Fortnite players. The union between the two artists was in t...
Even before concerts were forced online due to the ongoing pandemic, Epic Games‘ flagship title, Fortnite, was hosting full-scale events. After a groundbreaking performance from Marshmello in 2019, they would go on to invite Travis Scott, J Balvin, BTS, deadmau5, and more to the virtual stage. Now, celebrating his recent crossover with Epic Games’ recently-acquired title, Rocket League, Kaskade is primed for an in-game performance. Seemingly due to the nature of the games themselves, the event will not actually take place in the Rocket League application, but rather in the world of Fortnite and the Houseparty app. However, this does not mean there won’t be tons of rocket-powered car soccer elements included. Organizers promise a show that wil...
SoundCloud is officially entering the world of esports with a new video game tournament. Dubbed, SoundCloud Player One, the online festivities will see eight artists compete against each other in the digital battlegrounds of Fortnite. The games will be hosted by Rico Nasty and professional esports commentator, MonsterDface. In addition to the in-game action, viewers will be treated to a special halftime performance from Rico Nasty. At the time of writing, it’s not yet known which artists will be featured in the games. Unfortunately, not much is known about the format of the competition as well. Considering each Fortnite game can host up to 100 players, some have questioned how the tournament will keep score with just eight competitors. SoundCloud Player One kicks off o...