Since launching in mid-2021, Karta, a metaverse studio that offers in-game experiential marketing, has attracted significant investment and struck major partnerships with brands such as Amazon Music, McDonald’s and Hugo Boss.
Founded by industry veterans Erik Londré, former Head of Events at Fnatic, and music business veteran Tony Barnes, Karta bridges the gap between brands, artists, sports teams, and users in virtual worlds like Fortnite and Roblox. Notably, the studio partnered with Spotify to create a gamified version of the popular Spotify Wrapped campaign.
Beyond brand activations, Karta has launched its own metaverse experience – Beat Builder, which it describes as Fortnite’s “first-ever” build-based rhythm game. Beat Builder has quickly garnered a loyal following, reaching the milestone of 100,000 players on Fortnite as of Tuesday (April 16).
It follows the launch of Karta’s Fortnite studio in August 2023, shortly after raising $1.1 million in funding from music and gaming industry players.
Beat Builder integrates with Fortnite’s core building gameplay, offering a rhythm game experience. Players synchronize their building actions with the beat, such as when putting down walls, ramps, floors and cones. The game is centered on building, which is a Fortnite gameplay feature used in its Battle Royal.
“We’re thrilled that Beat Builder has gotten off to such a great start. We wanted to create a rhythm game that felt 100 per cent Fortnite native, where the music is connected to the platform’s core building gameplay.”
Erik Londré, Karta
Karta says the game not only entertains but also serves as a tool for players to refine their building skills, essential for competitive Fortnite matches.
Karta collaborated with NoCopyrightSounds, a copyright-free music platform, to curate Beat Builder’s initial soundtrack. The current focus is on drumstep, phonk and trap electronic music, showcasing popular artists like TWISTED, if found, XTOM, and Lost Sky. Each song boasts its own distinct world that reacts to the music, creating an immersive experience.
The studio promises future updates with a wider genre selection, including metal, K-pop, and rock, to cater to a wider range of musical tastes.
Karta says it envisions Beat Builder as more than just a game. The long-term goal is to integrate established artists directly into Fortnite, providing a platform for them to connect with fans and showcase their music. Beat Builder seeks to become a hub for music discovery, allowing players to explore new artists and genres in an interactive way.
“Beat Builder truly encapsulates what Karta is all about – innovative and forward-thinking design that combines incredible music with interactive gaming, in one entertaining place.”
Tony Barnes, Karta
In recent months, Karta has partnered with artists including Nicki Minaj (on her first-ever virtual shop in Roblox, called ‘Nicki Minaj’s Gag City’), and BLACKPINK (on their immersive BLACKPINK: THE PALACE experience on Roblox).
To celebrate Beat Builder’s milestone, Karta has updated the game with two of NoCopyrightSounds’ biggest songs: Royalty by Egzod & Maestro Chives and Invincible by DEAF KEV. The studio is already planning more extensions, partnerships and new seasons.
In February, Karta launched a dedicated studio focused on building bespoke experiences within Asia-focused metaverse platform ZEPETO. ZEPETO boasts over 400 million users, with 20 million monthly active users, and has a predominantly female audience. Its virtual fashion marketplace has a vibrant creator community with over 2.5 billion virtual items sold.
“We’re thrilled that Beat Builder has gotten off to such a great start. We wanted to create a rhythm game that felt 100 percent Fortnite native, where the music is connected to the platform’s core building gameplay. A rhythm game that makes you a better gamer is an idea that excites us a lot,” said Erik Londré, CEO of Karta.
Tony Barnes, CGO of Karta, added: “Beat Builder truly encapsulates what Karta is all about – innovative and forward-thinking design that combines incredible music with interactive gaming, in one entertaining place. Music’s presence in the metaverse is evolving and we think Beat Builder has the potential to become its own platform for artists and brands to authentically connect to a Fortnite audience through gameplay and new music. We can’t wait to develop it and see how it grows.”
Music Business Worldwide
