On 23 November 2024, The Sound of Gaming made history. A classical concert simultaneously took place in the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s studio in Manchester and the metaverse. While those physically present enjoyed a traditional concert experience, the event allowed remote fans far from Manchester to immerse themselves in a unique blend of physical and virtual worlds. As the orchestra played iconic soundtracks from Baldur’s Gate and World of Warcraft, metaverse attendees weren’t mere passive listeners. They could explore a futuristic space packed with interactive exhibits, collectables and live-streamed screens.
This groundbreaking experiment was described by the BBC as a “celebration of music’s ability to transcend mediums and touch our souls” and was part of European R&D project MAX-R, designed to trial live performances in virtual worlds. And it was an excellent showcase of deep collaboration between BBC Research & Development and MSquared.
The BBC created the format and concept and acted as a self-serve MSquared customer, using our MILEs (Massive Interactive Live Events) tech — an out-of-the-box solution the BBC could customise to its specific needs. MSquared remained on-hand throughout, providing insights and assistance and helping to iterate and optimise designs for the event.
The result was a unique immersive space. The BBC’s video capture tech played a significant role, broadcasting multiple screens throughout the virtual world, allowing the audience to see the dynamics between those on stage. Sound bars in front of a huge viewing window responded to the music. Collectables transformed with each song. And for the first time ever, a motion-captured conductor appeared in the metaverse, as trailblazer Eímear Noone graced the virtual stage — a key reason she chose to be part of this historic event.
While MSquared was initially brought on board due to having the only tech that fulfils the criteria for MILEs: 10,000+ concurrent users who can hear each other, interact and communicate in a single virtual space, The Sound of Gaming showed that scale is relative. This was an intimate experience — a cosy gathering of music and gaming enthusiasts that even recently would not have been viable. MSquared’s off-the-shelf platform makes such events — where there are hundreds rather than thousands of attendees — achievable and affordable. And this opens up many more opportunities for brands and agencies in this space to experiment and try new things.
Our account manager Tommy Wilkinson reckoned the event exceeded expectations: “It gave people a novel way to experience a live concert, whether they sat back and enjoyed the music or actively explored the virtual world. And the average time spent at the event was a remarkable 60 minutes — essentially the entire duration of the concert itself. That was amazing to see.”
He added: “Working with the BBC was a real treat. It was exciting to get a new perspective on live metaverse events by working with music producers and R&D professionals. The Sound of Gaming opened up new avenues for how to run live metaverse events, including a mix of physical and digital presence from the MSquared team, and it gave us further vital experience in being a SaaS metaverse provider.
What’s next? The event could be shared with a link and enabled other BBC personnel to explore the possibilities, potentially opening doors for further live events. There’s also talk of replays for educational experiences, to give children insight into classical music, game development and the incredible possibilities of virtual worlds. So while The Sound of Gaming may have only lasted an hour, it will continue to resonate for a long time to come.
