Roblox’s live event with The Chainsmokers, an electronic music duo with billions of listens on Spotify, is kicking off its concert with a permanent presence via a branded experience called Festival Tycoon. This all sounds very exciting. The metaverse promises to bring people together through virtual events that mirror how people act in the real world.
Festival Tycoon is, however the digital equivalent to spending money on a festival ticket and then watching your favorite band give the best performance of their lives. If this is the promise of the metaverse, we’re better off trying our luck at Fyre Festival.
A PERSISTENT EXPERIENCE AS AN ARTIST OR A PERSISTENT BUDGET?
First, I want to mention that the concert launches Friday, September 9th at 4pm PDT / 7:00 EDT / midnight GMT (Sept. 10) and 2am CEST (September 10) and may be extraordinary. Many metaverse concerts use the latest digital technology to create immersive, stunning works.
But the digital experience is something entirely different. It begins with a scavenger hunting in a virtual airport where players can collect letters which will unlock a digital prize. Numerous branded games on Roblox offer the same thing, and while it’s not inherently unfun, it’s also not innovative. Festival Tycoon is the problem. Roblox will continue to struggle with older audiences because of Festival Tycoon. This branded experience is nothing but a kiddie cash grab.
Roblox’s tycoon game rewards players for how much time they spend playing. Festival Tycoon allows players to collect money from ATMs, which offer time-based payouts, which they can use to unlock stages and DJ booths. The game is a lot about waiting and earning money. It can take several hours to complete the core of the experience. To increase their earning speed, players must purchase a game pass. This is a constant reminder to players by the game.
You can make extra money clicking on the beat of a song about tacos to earn more. I understand “It’s Raining Tacos” is a Roblox meme song. It’s a Roblox meme song that I have heard at least a dozen times.
You can earn more money if you are tired of the taco song. Of course, that will cost you a few Robux, too, so if you don’t feel like spending, get ready to continue subjecting yourself to taco torture.
CORPORATE GREED WILL KOIL THE METALVERSE
The problem with this event is that it’s a poor representation of what the metaverse could be. The Chainsmokers, a well-known music group, had an amazing opportunity to use their creativity and vision to create a remarkable metaverse experience. Instead, we have a Festival Tycoon instead. This will be in addition to the hundreds of other tycoon-like games that are simply surviving because bored people throw money at them.
Maybe marketing teams think this is what people want – but just because a boring game pays off with a reward doesn’t make it less boring. These experiences are what make the metaverse a place visionaries and creatives want to avoid. As we’ve seen with recent games like Doors, Roblox developers are capable of great things. For now, I can only see a flurry of Robux pop-up ads against a background of irritating music.
For some alternative games that won’t squeeze players for time and money, check out our list of the Best Roblox Games in 2022. Our September Roblox promo code list will allow you to get some avatar gear for free, without having to go through boring festival building. To find better music than the taco song, check out our Roblox music codes for September.
