In a first for the super group, BTS performed two of its biggest hits in Minecraft. If you’ve ever wondered what the square-headed, blocky version of your favorite member looked like, now you know.
The group performed its Grammy-nominated number-one hit single “Butter,” as well as its Ed Sheeran-co-written smash “Permission to Dance.” BTS is known for its moves, and seeing their choreography recreated in Minecraft is both awkward and cute.
BTS had previously made their Fortnite debut last year, joining artists like Marshmello and Ariana Grande who had appeared in Epic’s free-to-play battle royale game.
According to Bandwagon Asia, the BTS Minecraft concert was designed by Noxcrew, a community of global creators. Noxcrew did a good job—recreating the performance was, no doubt, tricky, and the resulting virtual event was fun.
Have a look at the group in action in the clip below:
The super group’s performance marked the end of YouTube’s interactive Escape 2021 global livestream. (I’m looking forward to escaping 2021 myself, but worried that 2022 doesn’t look much better! Fingers crossed for a better year.)
This might be BTS’s first Minecraft performance, but it’s not the group’s first digital one. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the group also did virtual versions for some of their Permission to Dance On Stage tour shows. This was a way to connect with fans, and follow best practices during certain periods of the pandemic.
But will Minecraft become the next Fortnite, offering a prime location for virtual concerts? The game certainly has a massive player base, so it will always be easy to drum up interest in a virtual concert. And while the game’s intrinsic qualities might mean it’s not possible to create quite so expressive performances, the charm and cute factor of Minecraft might be strong enough for that not to matter. And if it’s not Minecraft, no doubt there are loads of other games more than happy to offer their platform for musical performances.
[Thanks Sang for the tip!]