Ariana Grande To Headline Fortnite Concert Series: Why It's Important For Video Games, Tencent

Ariana Grande becomes the latest to host a virtual concert inside a video game, a move seen as part of the continued shift to metaverses.

Here are the details on Grande’s concert and how other video game concerts have performed.

What Happened: Epic Games, partially owned by Tencent Holdings TCEHY and Sony Corporation SONY, announced the latest celebrity to host concerts as part of the Rift Tour for the game “Fortnite.”

After teasing the game had a “record breaking superstar” last week, “Fortnite” announced Ariana Grande will host concerts inside the game beginning 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 6 and running through Aug. 8.

“The Rift Tour will begin with experiences that pair popular tracks with moments based on elements from the game,” Epic Games said.

A teaser trailer was shared by Grande on Twitter to her 83.7 million fans.

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Why It’s Important: The concert could see strong viewership and engagement and bring new fans or lagging fans into the “Fortnite” ecosystem.

Epic will sell an “Icon Series” skin of Grande allowing gamers to play as the musician in the game. This follows Icon Series skins of LeBron James and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. The skin goes on sale Aug. 4 ahead of the concert.

People who attend the concert will get a special umbrella glider to use in game. Other bonuses will be unlocked for those who attend the concert and are monthly Fortnite Crew members.

Past concerts hosted by “Fortnite” and other games have seen strong audience figures. More than 10 million people watched Marshmello’s February 2019 concert and over 12 million people watched Travis Scott’s April 2020 concert, both hosted in “Fortnite.”

Grande, who will also serve as a judge on Season 21 of “The Voice,” airing on NBC, has a larger social media following than both Marshmello and Scott.

The concert from Grande could possibly set record numbers for the game and could be a strong stepping point to featuring more musicians.

A successful concert from Grande could also lead to other games featuring concerts. Lil Nas X was featured by Roblox Corp RBLX in a 2020 concert. The concert had over 1 million views and ranks 10th for live hours watched.