C AllStar hosts Asia’s first virtual Minecraft concert

The famous Hong Kong pop group threw a virtual concert for eager fans on Minecraft and Microsoft Teams, redefining innovative entertainment experiences

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 17 December
2020 – Large-scale
concerts with raving fans may never be the same again. With the support of
Microsoft and Cyberport, Hong Kong digital entertainment company Kre8Lab
launched “The Show Must Go On”, a brand-new interactive concept that
brings virtual entertainment experiences to the public.

 

Hong Kong’s local music
group, C AllStar, held Asia’s first live virtual Minecraft concert in August
2020 leveraging Microsoft’s popular online gaming platform, Minecraft. The
virtual concert saw eager fans participate in an interactive entertainment
experience, combining music, gaming, and live streaming in one single platform.
 A second edition of the live virtual
concert, aimed at reaching even more fans, will launch on Minecraft in late December
2020.

 

Recognizing the
impact COVID-19 has had on the music and entertainment scene, Kre8Lab saw an
opportunity to create immersive and virtual entertainment experiences, with
open-world game Minecraft as the key. The Kre8Lab team designed and built a
performance venue resembling the Hong Kong Coliseum in the game, giving birth
to massive potential for virtual concerts.

 

Built on a robust and
secure Microsoft Azure cloud platform, this immersive virtual experience on
Minecraft connected fans from all around the world, through a combination of
music and gaming.

 

The Make It Happen @
10 C AllStar Virtual Live cross-platform online concert premiered in the Minecraft
Virtual Hong Kong Coliseum. This event coincided with the 10th anniversary of C
AllStar’s debut, transforming them into Minecraft player characters as they
performed classic hits from the past decade.

 

“Under the new
normal, industries need to be flexible in adapting to new jobs and
lifestyles,” said Kevin Tse, Director, Partner and Business division,
Microsoft Hong Kong. “We are excited to see C AllStar using our Azure cloud
technology and the Minecraft platform to bring Asia its first interactive virtual
concert, coupled with innovative and secure fan interactions through Microsoft
Teams. Microsoft will continue to empower the entertainment industry in pioneering
innovative entertainment experiences and other possibilities under the new
normal.”

 

Organizers simulated
the entire process to allow fans to enjoy the full concert experience — from ticket
checks and temperature taking to entering and finding a seat — and reproduced
the classic four-sided stage of the Hong Kong Coliseum in Minecraft, including
surprise stage effects.

 

Further elevating
the atmosphere was a mass chorus performed by C Allstar together with their
fans via the Together Mode feature on Microsoft Teams. Fans involved in the
video conference had the opportunity to join in the chorus in the same virtual
background, singing along to C AllStar’s iconic songs and creating an
unforgettable remote experience together with them.

 

To familiarize new
players with Minecraft games and break away from the confinements of home, the
production team of Kre8Lab spent three months crafting the “Super Avenue
of Stars” treasure hunt to recreate the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, including
the iconic Clock Tower, Star Ferry Pier, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong
Kong Space Museum, 1881 Heritage and more in the virtual world. On the day of
the concert, the organizers invited brands such as FWD House 1881, Reebok,
Green Common, Grana, Deliveroo and McDonald’s to set up virtual booths,
allowing fans to purchase food and merchandise in preparation for the concert, further
heightening the concert atmosphere.

 

Riding on the
success of Kre8Lab’s “The show must go on”, the company recently launched
another initiative called ChungDung, Hong Kong’s first interactive virtual singing
contest integrating the Minecraft platform with Extended Reality (XR)
Technology. This builds on the company’s efforts to engage Hong Kong’s growing
population of millennials amid the pandemic through immersive entertainment
experiences.

 

This was all made
possible with the combination of mixed reality technologies, live-streaming capabilities
of Azure Media Services and the Minecraft gaming platform. Through technology,
participants were able to enter the contest with a personalized Memoji and
compete in a final round streamed live via Minecraft. Kre8Lab also organized a
virtual event management workshop to equip participants with the necessary skills
and knowledge for them to host ChungDung’s final show event in Minecraft. The
contest has attracted approximately 150,000 views and 5,000 votes online and
continues to see engagement amongst users in Hong Kong.