Musician-Based Massively-Multiplayer Online World New Boyz Launched

This is a pretty slick idea. Imagine a virtual world dedicated to a single music artist, where you can interact with other fans, check out tunes, videos and gear and even buy both physical and virtual stuff.

Now expand that into a universe where every artist has their own planet that they sit down and help create with the game developer so that it represents exactly what they want. Fans of multiple bands could then travel, in-game, from planet to planet, check out live performances, tour schedules, play some games with/against the band, win real prizes, etc.

Now that would a cool way for Funtactix to expand what they’re doing here with the New Boyz (if you read this Funtactix I’d be happy to help). What they’ve done is created a New Boyz avatar-based online world as part of a broader agreement with Warner Music Group (WMG). 

New Boyz: The WORLD, the official online world for the hip hop duo that boasts one of the fastest growing online followings with two million Facebook fans, will mark the first musician-based massively-multiplayer online world ever launched. Available beginning May 2 through the New Boyz Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/NewBoyz, New Boyz: The WORLD allows fans to enter an authentic world entirely dedicated to the group. New Boyz fans will be able to create an avatar reflecting the New Boyz style while personalizing it with virtual clothing and merchandise.

“Our artists and bands have some of the most dedicated followers,” said Andie Simon, Senior Vice President, Interactive Media, Warner Music Group. “With Funtactix’s dynamic platform and game design expertise, we are excited to collaborate with them and offer our artists another way to reach their fans.” 

In addition to the New Boyz’s popularity on Facebook, the duo has a rapidly-growing Twitter following and has released a series of viral digital music videos that have received tens of millions of views. 

At New Boyz: The WORLD, fans can also teach their avatar the Jerk Dance moves created by the New Boyz, get official limited-edition virtual goods, play exclusive New Boyz-themed games, hang out and socialize with other fans, enjoy in-world virtual concerts and participate in exclusive online events featuring the New Boyz.

Funtactix will also create custom-built avatar-based online worlds for additional WMG artists, creating a first-of-its-kind backstage pass for fans to enter the official world of their favorite musicians. The experiences are built for fans with ongoing artist involvement, creating a new channel for delivering a complete experience that extends beyond the music: unlocking the artists’ visual style, dance moves, fashion, and delivering it directly to the fans through visually-stunning online worlds and digital goods.