Finland is the first country to promote its Eurovision contestant on Fortnite with help from Finnish metaverse company, Zoan. It is also the first country in the world to launch a photorealistic twin of its capital city on Fortnite. The virtual city will include a special campaign featuring the country’s popular Eurovision contestant, Käärijä. Fortnite players can explore the virtual Helsinki Senate Square and show off their best dance moves on a designated dance area to the artist’s Eurovision Song Contest entry, Cha Cha Cha, themed music before and during the contest. Plus, the online experience comes with plenty of promotional content about the artist.
“Käärijä is all about breaking boundaries, stirring the pot and creating new ways to connect with fans, so this kind of innovative promo campaign with the gaming world felt immediately like a natural and greatopportunity,” stated Ida Karimaa, artists and repertoire representatie at Monsp and Warner Music Finland.
The gaming experience will be developed further on Fortnite during and after the, ESC 2023 if the campaign is a success. Fortnite players and Käärijä’s fans may also get a chance to influence the content of the playing field in the future.
“We at ZOAN are always eager to test and apply the latest technology. Unreal Editor for Fortnite was published just a couple of weeks ago, and with over 650 Unreal Engine projects under our belt, it was easy to start working with it. This Käärijä experience is such a fun idea that we needed to make it happen! Publishing branded content for the Fortnite community is a game-changer for so many industries – and let’s hope it helps Finland to win at ESC,” noted Laura Olin, chief operating officer at ZOAN.
Käärijä’s performance and the new virtual Finland experience can be accessed on Fortnite by entering the Island Code 1530-0619-6061 on the Discovery screen. This year, the new voting system in ESC highlights the decisive role of the general public, and people in non-participating countries and all over the world can now vote for their favourite song.
“Warner Music Finland proactively seeks new, innovative ways to connect artists with fans in all channels. Käärijä and Fortnite are a perfect match with a twist,” commented Nicholas Wilczynski, head of digital at Warner Music Finland.
The experience is in continuous development.
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 takes place in Liverpool between May 9–13.
