Spotify Island on Roblox launches a brand new digital vacation spot for hip-hop listeners • TechCrunch

It’s been 4 months since Spotify’s debuted its digital Spotify Island on Roblox, which made it the primary music streaming service to have an official presence throughout the gaming platform. At the moment, Spotify launched a brand new space-themed digital vacation spot on Roblox known as Planet Hip-Hop, which is able to quickly function up-and-coming feminine rapper Doechii.

Spotify Island’s new Planet Hip-Hop is live now in Roblox, and the digital expertise goals to offer a youthful era of hip-hop followers new methods to attach with their favourite music artists.

When Roblox gamers discover Planet Hip-Hop, they will acquire unique digital merch, customise autos within the “Pace Store,” dance on a floating dance flooring, create hip-hop beats powered by Soundtrap, and extra.

The brand new futuristic-looking vacation spot encompasses a lit-up cityscape sitting on an upside-down silver pyramid, surrounded by pink planet rings that resemble a file in addition to floating meteors and different planetary matter.

“We wished to create an area impressed by the latest period of hip hop, exploring how the present era of artists and followers are redefining what the style appears like and seems like,” Steven Conaway, Senior Artwork Director at Spotify, stated to press throughout a demo.

The look of Spotify’s new vacation spot is impressed by the youthful era of hip-hop artists, a lot of that are recognized to have an “web tech sound,” Conway added. He referred to younger artists like Doechii, Yeat, and Trippie Redd, who’re all of their early 20s.

Spotify selected the hip-hop style because the second Spotify Island vacation spot based mostly on listener demand, the corporate wrote in its launch. The music streaming platform boasted that hip-hop music generates 44 billion common month-to-month streams on Spotify globally.

In comparison with Spotify Island’s Ok-pop-themed world, K-Park, there are numerous new parts and Easter eggs in Planet Hip-Hop that gamers can uncover. This contains with the ability to stroll on buildings and float round– an added contact to the expertise that makes it look like Roblox avatars have been transported to a low-gravity surroundings.

Gamers may also drive a personalized automobile across the planet’s rings, which act as drivable pathways, Edward Yeung, Affiliate Artistic Director at Spotify, defined throughout the demo.

Within the close to future, Spotify is popping the pathways on the planetary rings into an impediment course, Yeung revealed.

New merch that’s unique to Planet Hip-Hop contains clothes gadgets, emotes, and parkour results. In a few weeks, gamers will be capable to buy a patchwork bubble jacket and moon sneakers for his or her avatar. Roblox gamers can acquire hearts to buy the merch.

Just like Ok-Park, gamers should enter an underground portal to go to a music artist’s fan expertise. This Thursday, September 22, Spotify will introduce the primary artist on Planet Hip-Hop– Doechii.

When Roblox gamers enter Doechii’s underground portal in Planet Hip-Hop, they’ll see a swamp kingdom commemorating the rapper’s hometown, Tampa, Florida, and her nickname, “Swamp Princess.”

At launch, gamers can swim with alligators, dive underwater, and hop on lily pads. Whereas followers can’t work together and experience on the alligators/crocodiles but, this can be a function Spotify is including afterward.

Nonetheless, there are numerous options that shall be unavailable when Doechii’s swamp launches tomorrow.

Within the following days, Spotify will launch extra options for Doechii followers, reminiscent of a quiz the place gamers should “persuade” Doechii to allow them to enter her “Swamp Coven.” This can be a nod to her music “Persuasive,” which just lately bought a new music video and remix with well-known R&B singer SZA. As soon as gamers reply the questions appropriately, they are going to be invited into the coven and even develop an alligator tail, the corporate explains in right now’s announcement.

Spotify will roll out unique Doechii gear over the subsequent few days as nicely. Gamers will quickly be capable to buy alligator pants and sneakers, an alligator necklace, a Cyan blue-colored mullet impressed by her authentic “Persuasive” music video, a star crown, and extra. There’ll quickly be a function the place Doechii will nearly signal your merch.

Additionally, in a number of weeks, followers will take part in quests, like a scavenger hunt the place gamers acquire alligator tokens and commerce them for prizes. When Roblox gamers end all Doechii’s quests throughout the first 72 hours, they’ll unlock unique house glasses.

Spotify will proceed including to Planet Hip-Hop, together with collaborations with completely different hip-hop artists which have but to be introduced.

Down the highway, the corporate may even launch extra automobile customization choices within the “Pace Store,” plus new themed autos representing the longer term music artists becoming a member of the digital world. As an illustration, Doechii followers will quickly be capable to experience in an alligator automobile.