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players attended the game’s Remix: The Finale event, which featured a tribute to late rapper Juice Wrld. An in-person concert could never draw such a crowd – nor could it feature a deceased artist – but online, the rules of physical reality do not apply. Fortnite concerts have been happening for years now – ever since February 2019, in fact. Marshmello – the mysterious DJ who’s always sporting a white helmet – performed a live set called Party at Pleasant Park. Over 10.7 million players attended. According to Rolling Stone UK , the masked DJ’s social following grew too, with 62,000 new followers on X (then Twitter), 260,000 on Instagram and a 1800% increase in YouTube subscribers. The numbers spoke for themselves, and the precedent had been set. Soon after, Travis Scott performed in Fortnite , Charli xcx in Minecraft and Lil Nas X in Roblox , the latter drawing 33 million viewers over four shows. Even after the pandemic ended, the beat went on – Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Metallica, Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice have all performed online. It’s worth noting that these aren’t no-name artists; the world’s biggest acts are certainly changing their approach to live events and seeing the value in virtual gigs. So, what is that value, exactly? For starters, it’s an increased online presence – and an opportunity to connect with
Epic Games collaborated with Marshmello to design the virtual concert inside Pleasant Park – fully rendered using Fortnite’s engine
animation with role-playing. They’re also the closest thing we currently have to Ready Player One ’s Oasis. Inside these virtual worlds, concerts have attracted audiences numbering in the millions while eliminating the annoyances of live events – blocked views, busy crowds and heat exhaustion among them. According to Dexerto, roughly one million users play Fortnite on an average day. This peaked on 30 November 2024, when more than 14 million concurrent
One World: Together at Home was a global broadcast and digital special curated by Lady Gaga in April 2020 to support frontline healthcare workers
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