While hundreds of thousands of fans gather in the desert each year, millions more experience Coachella from afar.
Working with Forward Studio, Alliance Studio, Epic Games, and Fortnite, we created a series of novel virtual experiences to bridge this gap. From custom cosmetics to immersive worlds, our work extends the magic of Coachella into the digital space, allowing fans across the globe to connect with the festival in entirely new ways.
In 2023, we introduced Coachella Island—a vibrant, music-reactive environment where the festival never stops. Inspired by the iconic Polo Fields, players could immerse themselves in a world that blended the real and virtual, portal to other Coachella-featured experiences, and engage with musical mini-games.
With over five million players visiting in the first week alone, Coachella Island became a dynamic hub for festival fans to connect, create, and celebrate together, all year round.
Building on the success of Coachella Island, we launched Sahara Island in 2024—a virtual space inspired by the legendary Sahara Tent.
Fans could step into this digital rendition of the tent, uncover hidden remix rooms with Fortnite's cutting-edge Patchwork tools, and engage in beat-mapped mini-games. Beyond these interactions, fans were able to step directly into the performances of festival artists, bringing them closer to the music than ever before.
In collaboration with Grimes and DJ Snake, we took Sahara Island to new heights. By developing an interoperable pipeline, we seamlessly integrated 3D assets from their live festival performances into the virtual world.
This groundbreaking approach allowed fans to experience the artists’ creative vision in a whole new dimension, merging the physical and digital realms into a unified, interactive experience.
Leading the creative direction for Coachella’s takeover of Fortnite’s new Festival Jam Stage game mode, we brought the iconic festival landmarks—Spectra Tower, Ferris Wheel, balloon chains, and the desert skyline—into Fortnite’s new music mode.
This takeover allowed players to immerse themselves in the festival’s atmosphere, jamming to tracks from artists at the festival and even performing on a Coachella-themed main stage.
Fashion has always been central to Coachella, and in the Metaverse, it’s no different. Every festival season brings a fresh wave of Coachella-inspired virtual items to Fortnite, from outfits that mirror festival fashion to accessories that capture the essence of the festival’s iconic art installations.
These drops also include exclusive emotes and music tracks from featured artists, blending Coachella’s signature style with the immersive world of Fortnite.
Coachella’s partnership with Epic Games and Fortnite has redefined the festival experience, allowing millions of fans worldwide to immerse themselves in Coachella’s magic—no matter where they are. As the tools to create virtual experiences become more accessible, we are excited to see how the physical and virtual experiences converge.
