(l to r): Karta Fortnite studio team members Leven2k (creative lead), Erik Londré (Karta founder and CEO), Mihailis Mozajevs, Wednesday Garret, Harry Hartwell, and Joe Baxter-Webb. Photo Credit: Karta
Metaverse developer Karta has officially debuted a Fortnite studio that will look to partner with “popular IP owners from music, entertainment and sports talent” on in-game initiatives.
London-headquartered Karta, which arrived on the scene in 2021 and has created experiences within Roblox and The Sandbox, formally unveiled its Fortnite studio today. Already working to craft “bespoke in-game experiences” for the popular title, the newly minted studio is positioned to unlock revenue streams for rightsholders in the music space and beyond, according to higher-ups.
Additionally, Karta – which scored $1.1 million in seed funding in July – has tapped Fortnite personality and analyst Leven2k (real name Daniel Oyelade) to drive the just-established division’s marketing initiatives and creative direction. A “Fortnite expert and denizen,” Leven2k commentates (among other things) the Fortnite Champion Series broadcast.
“It’s an honour to head up Karta’s new Fortnite studio and lead on developing exciting and fun new experiences for the community,” said Leven2k. “I truly believe that with our vision, our team and our IP partners we can create something very, very special on the platform.”
Karta also took the opportunity to tee up for later this month the debut of “a brand new map” wherein players will have the chance to engage in “a fight-to-the-death style match between Winnie the Pooh and the Grim Reaper.”
Meanwhile, execs further indicated that the Fortnite studio’s arrival was made possible by Epic Games’ release of “Unreal Editor for Fortnite.” The offering is said to afford “creators even more tools to create and publish much more ambitious and varied experiences within the game.”
“We are extremely excited about Fortnite and our new studio,” Karta founder and CEO Erik Londré said in part. “With Leven’s knowledge of Fortnite culture and a team of great developers and game designers, combined with popular IP from the world of music, sports and entertainment, we are looking to bring something fresh and unique to the players but still feels very much native to them.”
Of course, it’ll be worth monitoring the Karta Fortnite studio’s music partnerships moving forward – particularly given the existing in-game presence of iHeartMedia, Coachella, and a number of artists. Similarly, several high-profile acts have in the past hosted Fortnite concerts and even released music via the commercially prominent title.
Elsewhere in the metaverse, Warner Music Group closer to 2023’s beginning launched “Rhythm City” in Roblox, which reportedly suffered a nearly $1 billion net loss during 2022. Plus, February saw Lickd, Kobalt, and Empire jointly ink a Decentraland union, and Motown Records in June revealed a Second Life tie-up.