Here’s Other Top Artists—From Ariana Grande to Eminem—That Have Performed In-Game

Topline

Metallica has been announced as the newest headliner of the in-game “Fortnite Festival” created by Epic Games, but other popular artists have also performed in “Fortnite,” including Travis Scott, Ariana Grande and Eminem.

Key Facts

Big Number

$6 billion. That’s how much Epic Games made in revenue in 2022, according to Forbes reporting. The majority of that revenue came from “Fortnite.” Part of this revenue came from the in-game currency called v-bucks. Players can purchase v-buck bundles, which range from 1,000 v-bucks for $8.99, to 5,000 v-bucks for $36.99.

What Other Artists Have Performed In ‘fortnite?’

• Travis Scott: Scott performed in “Fortnite” during an event called “Astronomical” between April 23, 2020 and April 25, 2020. Scott drew in an audience of 12 million, and made around $20 million from things including merchandise sales, according to Forbes reporting. He also premiered a new song called “The Scotts” featuring Kid Cudi during the event.
• Ariana Grande: Grande performed during the “Rift Tour” in “Fortnite” between Aug. 6, 2021 and Aug. 8, 2021. Game skins of the singer were sold, and she performed songs including “Positions,” “The Way,” “Be Alright,” “7 Rings” and “R.E.M.” Following the virtual concert, streams of Grande’s songs spiked, and “Be Alright” earned the most with a 123% jump in streams, according to Billboard.
• Eminem: The rapper performed during an 11-minute event called “The Big Bang” on Dec. 2. However, the event was met with criticism after some people who joined 30 minutes early—as instructed by Epic Games—were unable to watch the live event. This led “Fortnite” to announce two additional showings of the event to accommodate people who missed the first one.
• The Weeknd: The Weeknd was the headliner for the first season of the Fortnite Festival. The inaugural season began in December, and included songs like “Blinding Lights,” “The Hills” and “Save Your Tears.” The Weeknd even debuted the release of the music video for his song “Popular” featuring Madonna and Playboy Carti in-game on Feb. 15.
• Lady Gaga: Lady Gaga performed in the second season of the Fortnite Festival in February. During season two, players could purchase Lady Gaga-themed accessories like new guitars and skins from between 400 v-bucks to 1,500 v-bucks. Some Lady Gaga songs that were available in-game include “Born This Way,” “Applause” and “Just Dance.” Lady Gaga announced her collaboration by quoting an old post on X,formerly known as Twitter, in which she asked “What’s fortnight,” with a picture of the event alongside the caption “*fortnite.”
• Billie Eilish: Eilish performed in the third season of the Fortnite Festival, which began in April. Epic Games announced Eilish’s collaboration on April 23, three weeks before her third studio album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” debuted. Songs that were featured include “Therefore I Am,” “Happier Than Ever – Edit” and “all the good girls go to hell.”

Key Background

“Fortnite” is a battle royale-style game in which 100 players compete against each other until there’s only one standing. The Fortnite Festival was developed by Harmonix Music Systems, the makers of Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Dance Central. Epic Games previously tried its hand in music when it purchased the platform Bandcamp in 2022. Epic Games announced last year it was laying off 13% of its staff, and licensing company Songtradr was acquiring Bandcamp.

Further Reading

How Hip-Hop Superstar Travis Scott Has Become Corporate America’s Brand Whisper (Forbes)