MONTREAL — Cirque de Soleil Entertainment Group is joining forces with metaverse game developer Gamefam to create an online gaming experience on Roblox.
In Cirque du Soleil Tycoon, held on the online game platform, users can build their own Cirque de Soleil universe, the company said Wednesday.
“Cirque du Soleil Tycoon will channel the influence of global online platform Roblox for immersive shared experiences and harness Cirque du Soleil’s high-end entertainment expertise, creative DNA, and multi-generational fanbase," the company's head of filmed and immersive entertainment, Sébastien Ouimet, in a press release.
Users can create their own Cirque du Soleil performance complete with performers and crowds, in an experience inspired by its new touring show, "Echo." The experience will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at how Cirque du Soleil productions work, the company said.
Cirque du Soleil said this launch supports the company's newly defined mission to diversify its offerings beyond live shows.
"To launch Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever digital experience on a major immersive platform like Roblox made a lot of sense for us," said Ouimet.
"Roblox is all about bringing people together, and in this case, also enabling us to offer a coveted behind-the-scenes experience to millions of fans at once, sans distance or other physical limitations."
The company said it hopes to tap into some of the more than 66 million daily active Roblox users and attract a new fan base.
Cirque du Soleil Tycoon will be available for free in summer 2023 on most platforms and devices including consoles, computers and mobile phones.
Also on Wednesday, the company announced it's partnering with immersive technology and media company Cosm to create a "shared reality" show.
The company said Cosm will produce and present a Cirque du Soleil show at its forthcoming venues, the first of which is slated to open in Los Angeles in 2024, using a 26.6-metre diameter LED dome in a 65,000-square-foot facility.
"This partnership with Cosm will allow us to once again push production and technology boundaries to seamlessly blend virtual and physical worlds and cultivate our connection with fans beyond the stage," said Ouimet in a press release.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2023.
The Canadian Press
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version of the headline had an incorrect spelling of Gamefam.