Editor's take: Fortnite developer Epic Games has put together a brand new studio in Los Angeles that'll be used to host in-game concerts over the coming weeks. With performances and other live events increasingly going digital, it could be the start of a whole new tour for music artists.
Nate Nanzer, head of global partnerships for Fortnite, described it as a tour stop for artists. "If you're on tour, you want to stop on the Fortnite stage," he said. "It's a unique way to get in front of an audience that maybe you're not reaching through other means."
This isn't the first time Epic has dabbled in non-gaming entertainment in Fortnite. Back in April, Fortnite hosted an in-game Travis Scott concert that drew more than 12.3 million players during its premiere. The following month, the developer introduced Party Royale, a violence-free zone within the game designed specifically for such events and hosted a Christopher Nolan-themed movie night in June.
According to Variety, the LA studio features a 24-by-24-foot stage complete with remotely-operated cameras. Nanzer told The Verge that the new studio space in LA was largely built with Covid-19 protocols in mind. It'll also feature a separate entrance for talent, on-site virus testing and of course, no live audience.
The first act scheduled for the Spotlight concert series is Dominic Fike who will take the stage on September 12 at 5 p.m. Eastern. Encore performances will be shown at 11 p.m. Eastern and again at 1 p.m. Eastern the following day.
Two other (as yet announced) artists are already scheduled for September 19 and September 26.