Fortnite to host world’s first in-game concert this weekend

Epic Games has recruited EDM star Marshmello to usher in a new era of music promotion.

Music marketing is both easier and harder than ever before. On the one hand, anyone can upload music and share it online with just a few clicks. On the other hand, anyone can upload music and share it online with just a few clicks.

To stand out in today’s marketplace artists need to find original ways to engage their audience. That can be accomplished on a small-scale by interacting with fans on social media. As the talent’s profile grows, however, there comes a point when meaningful growth can no longer be achieved through one-on-one interaction.

This weekend, EDM superstar Marshmello will do something no other artist has before, and in doing so, he might set a new precedent for large-scale music promotion. This Saturday afternoon, February 2, Marshmello will perform the world’s first in-game concert through a partnership with developer Epic Game. The performance will take place at Pleasant Park, a location in the wildly popular game Fortnite.

Rumors of the performance began making the rounds online months ago, but recent information uncovered by dedicated players forced the game to reveal the concert news earlier this week. Here’s what we know:

• The event will begin at 2 PM ET on Saturday, though it’s not clear how long it will run for.
• It takes place in Pleasant Park, though you may see the lights/hear the music from anywhere on the map.
• It apparently will be its own LTM called “Party at Pleasant Park” with respawns enabled, meaning you will probably be able to kill each other during the party.
• There’s apparently a cosmetic bundle for the event which will include a Marshmello skin, pickaxe and spray. No word on pricing.
• There are some leaked animations that show “DJ dancing” for lack of a better term which would appear to be how Marshmello himself will act on stage.
• Object leaks have shown speakers, a stage, lights, all of which should be set up on the football field at Pleasant Park, presumably.

With this being the first event of its kind it is hard to know what the impact the performance will have on Marshmello’s career. If nothing else, the concert will expose Marshmello’s music to a larger than any single festival or show could offer here in the real world.

Fortnite is a battle royale game that is free to play. There are several challenge-related games to choose from, but the primary objective is to skydive into an island and kill one’s opponents until only a single player remains. The game boasts more than 200 million registered players worldwide. In November 2018, Fortnite set a record when 8.6 million users were simultaneously engaged in battle.