Fans of “The Voice” will soon be able to jump into a new immersive virtual world where they can create music, show off their dancing skills, compete in battles, win digital merch — and even audition to be on an upcoming season of the reality-competition series.
“The Voice Studios,” from ITV Studios and metaverse developer Virtual Brand Group, is set to debut May 12. The global launch of the Roblox-style virtual world is timed for the final weeks of Season 23 of “The Voice” on NBC. Free for anyone to access, “The Voice Studios” will be located in Vegas City, the entertainment destination in metaverse platform Decentraland (at this link). Its launch follows a virtual pop-up event for “The Voice” last year at the Decentraland Metaverse Music Festival that also was created by VBG.
In a specially created NBC metaverse fan zone in “The Voice Studios,” fans will be able to audition using their avatars for a potential slot on a future season of the network’s ITV-produced series. They also can win limited-edition virtual clothing — just like the garb that celebrity coaches Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, Niall Horan and Blake Shelton gift to their teams on the primetime show.
ITV Studios produces 148 different versions of “The Voice” around the world, including for NBC. The ability to audition for “The Voice” in the metaverse experience will kick off in the U.S., but ITV Studios plans to bring that feature out worldwide eventually.
“The Voice Studios” is set to launch with five experiences: Music Maker, where users can publish a track and compete to win prizes (or make music just for fun); an immersive Musical Treasure Hunt; Dance Off; Rhythm Challenge; and a Music Trivia game.
Fans can play games and navigate “The Voice Studios” on their own or participate in head-to-head battles with others vying to be the top gamer, dancer or creator. Fans themselves will vote on who ultimately gets crowned the winner in each category. The more content and gameplay fans participate in, the more features they can unlock and chances there are to win “The Voice”-themed virtual MetaMerch.
“While very few people get to be in a studio where ‘The Voice’ is being recorded, let alone receive a tailored gift from their favorite coach, it will now be possible for all fans to get access and have fun in this new immersive experience,” said Lucie Stoffers, ITV Studios’ head of brand licensing, global partnerships.
“The Voice Studios” represents “the future of entertainment, fashion and youth-culture marketing,” according to VBG CEO Justin Hochberg. In the company’s first metaverse experience for “The Voice” last fall in Decentraland, fans spent an average of 49 minutes per session — generating 13 times more engagement than typical social media platforms, Hochberg claimed. “Building the next generation with Vegas City that is bigger and better for the show, advertisers and fans was the obvious logical step,” he said.
Watch a teaser trailer for “The Voice Studios”: