International reality TV franchise "The Voice" ventures into the metaverse yet again with Coach Battle, a virtual experience on The Sandbox, a decentralized gaming platform.
Billed as an immersive Web3 minigame, players will take on the role of celebrity voice coaches as they compete in challenges with other players and interact with virtual contestants.
"The Sandbox is a hub for creativity, discovery, and self-expression, naturally making it the perfect venue for 'The Voice,'" The Sandbox CEO and Co-founder Arthur Madrid said in a press release.
"We are very excited to collaborate with them and bring the show’s energy into the digital realm," he added.
Fans of the hit TV show can now experience the show’s most iconic moments, as the game takes players from the blind auditions all the way to the final live show.
Players will need to make strategic choices to guide their chosen artists to victory.
Guiding the players through the experience are four newly created celebrity coaches, designed exclusively for the game by an Academy Award nominee.
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The game is also closely integrated with the ongoing season of NBC’s "The Voice," allowing fans to predict which contestants will advance.
As part of the campaign, users can win prizes, such as a share of the $15,000 SAND pool, limited edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and a chance to attend a live taping of the show.
Coaches Eon B. Rabbit, Kid Flaire, Cenalia, and IngoAmelis will each have their own personalities and unique musical talents and skills that will offer different competitive advantages.
Growing 'The Voice' in the Metaverse
This is not the show’s first time in the virtual world — it has previously hosted activations on Roblox, Decentraland, and HiberWorld.
This latest venture is just another instance of "The Voice" franchise owner ITV Studios expanding the brand into the metaverse with a unique cross-platform approach.
"Overall, our aim was to basically create deeper fan engagement with our audiences," ITV Studios Brand Manager Lelia Ahmed shared.
"We know that there’s a lot of people spending more time on these types of platforms, and for us, what was really imperative and important was to engage the connection with the fans and establish a way of how we can actually connect the TV show to these types of platforms," Ahmed added.
This move gives the company more creative autonomy over the brand without having to coordinate with regional partners like NBC, which holds the rights to the American version of the show.
Assisting the studio’s expansion is Virtual Brand Group, which partnered with "The Voice" to build and design the show’s virtual presence.
"If you wanted to make a TV show, you’d have to get permission from the network, right? This is now reverse engineering things because ITV doesn’t need to get permission from NBC — they can go build it themselves on Roblox," VBG CEO Justin Hochberg revealed.
ITV Studios has also begun exploring ways to monetize its virtual experiences, offering sponsorships and branding opportunities within "The Voice’s" metaverse ventures.
On top of sponsorships, "The Voice" sees virtual merchandise as a key revenue stream.
The brand has partnered with Ready Player Me to create and sell virtual clothing items such as "The Voice" hoodies, which can be purchased for $1.99 on platforms like HiberWorld.
As platforms like Roblox continue to explore virtual and real-world commerce, the early involvement of "The Voice" in the metaverse offers significant advantages.
ITV Studios aims to capitalize on its initial successes, leveraging its position as an early adopter.
"We’re always looking to expand in that medium. I mean, we are a commercial team as well here, and we know that these platforms actually do have great revenue potential," Ahmed explained.
"And we’re basically now at the forefront of trialing this across multiple platforms," she added.
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Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
