e Farm and iHeartMedia will host Ed Sheeran’s experience in Fortnite

IHeartMedia is hosting “A Special Ed Sheeran experience” in Fortnite’s online video game, starting October 5. Fortnite players will have access to the multi-faceted virtual experience that celebrates new music by the Grammy Award-winning artist through iHeartLand’s State Farm Park.

Experience Builder. This is the first music experience created by a third party using Epic Games Unreal Editor Fortnite (UEFN). UEFN enables creators and brands of all sizes to create games and experiences that are published on Fortnite.

Fortnite players can navigate through four immersive environments based off of Sheeran’s exclusive live performances for iHeartRadio. This is iHeartMedia’s network of streaming audio stations. Virtual video screens show Sheeran performing songs from his album “-(Subtract)”, and the upcoming “Autumn Variations,” which will be available on September 29.

The four environments are based on themes. A metropolitan city at dusk at night, a boxing arena at dusk at dawn, a fast boat ride at high speed, and a forest. The four scenes contain Easter eggs that are related to Sheeran’s music.

Tom Poleman said, “We knew that [Sheeran] would be the perfect artist for our first immersive game, developed in partnership with Epic Games,” in a press release. “We are pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation to give music and gaming enthusiasts a deeper understanding of the lyrics, meaning and music behind the songs in a way that is native to the Fortnite world.

State Farm Park. The “A Special Ed Sheeran experience” can be accessed via State Farm Park, located in iHeartLand. iHeartMedia released Fortnite in 2022. State Farm is a media company’s partner for naming rights.

Alyson Griffin is the Marketing Vice President at State Farm. She said in a press release that “our collaboration with iHeartMedia allowed State Farm continue to be on the cutting edge of culture and innovations.” State Farm Park, in iHeartLand’s metaverse, was the first to offer naming rights. It offers gamers a new immersive music experience through 25+ concerts and podcasts featuring today’s top artists. State Farm Park allows us to reach our next generation of customers wherever they are. We’re excited to work with iHeartMedia to create cutting-edge, entertaining activations such as this.

Demand Sage, a business intelligence firm, estimates that Fortnite has 231 million active players.

Why do we care? Younger users Watch less TV and Play More Games. This audience isn’t only interested in playing games to win them. They want to explore these virtual worlds, interact with others and enjoy the content. This is why State Farm and global stars such as Sheeran are placing a virtual flag.

Find out more about cutting-edge martech – for free!

The original post State Farm, iHeartMedia and Fortnite to host Ed Sheeran Experience was published on MarTech.