Spotify is catching the metaverse wave. On Tuesday, the company debuted Spotify Island on Roblox, one of the newest additions on the uber-popular gaming platform.
With eyes set on Roblox’s 50 million-plus audience, Spotify is planting its flag firmly in the metaverse, the vast virtual frontier where you can do things like compete, earn prizes, buy merchandise or just hang out. As a music streaming service creating its own world on Roblox, the brand wants to connect artists with fans through an interactive, music-themed gaming experience.
Spotify Island invites players to collect hearts and musical notes — the streamer’s famous symbols — as they explore the island habitat where your wand conjures up surprises and mushrooms double as trampolines. It’s a bright and dazzling place where you can glide around, rack up objects, crank up a boombox or make your own tunes. Users can also shop for merchandise, collect currency, or chill with artists and fellow players in the game. And yes, there are free in-game items too!
At launch, Spotify welcomed two K-Pop artists to the island: Sunmi and Stray Kids. Sunmi currently has her own line of digital goodies for sale on Spotify Island, and in the coming weeks, fans will be able to grab Stray Kids’ merch and interact with them within the game. How? Players only have to hop over to K-Park, a digital destination for K-Pop fans and a major part of Spotify’s blueprint to grow its Roblox universe. It is one example of how Spotify aims to build social communities with artists at the center where they can engage with fans through meet-and-greets, exclusive content, quests and other features.
I had a chance to test the game out, and one of the coolest features in Spotify Island is Night Mode. Once you have enough coins, you can climb your way up a magical tree and flip the display to a darker setting. It’s like a neon-lit rave, and when you’re perched at the top of the tree, pull out your glowstick for added effect. According to Spotify, fellow players don’t have the ability to toggle between day and night mode as you’re enjoying your game. Your screen will stay the same.
The island also features a stage and screen that urges players to shoot a cannon, bust a move or see who’s in the spotlight. While there aren’t any official details about digital performances, Spotify wants you to stay tuned for special programming that will hit the screen.
Spotify Island features music, play and special events on-screen.
Spotify
If you like the competitive aspect of Roblox games, be sure to check the leaderboard on Spotify Island to see who’s got the most hearts. They don’t work exactly like the hearts in the Spotify app that add favorites to your library, but you can track your riches so you can advance to new areas or level up your stable of moves and special effects. Additionally, be on the lookout for musical Easter eggs like the fruits that dot the island. Those watermelons you see are an ode to Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles, and there are other audio clues in store.
Roblox isn’t Spotify’s only team-up in the world of video games. Prior to this, the company partnered with League of Legends, PlayStation and Xbox. In 2016, the company introduced its gaming section where users can find playlists to get into player mode or soundtracks for some of their favorite games such as Far Cry 6 and Godfall: Fire & Darkness.
