Engage XR is hosting a virtual Fatboy Slim concert this month

20 Mar 2023

Image: Engage XR

Engage XR plans to showcase the power of its metaverse platform with a free concert that will let users delve into Fatboy Slim’s mind.

Engage XR is planning to showcase the power of its metaverse platform with a free virtual concert later this month.

The upcoming event will host DJ Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), who has created the experience exclusively for the Engage platform. The virtual concert is scheduled to take place on 30 March.

Engage XR said the 45-minute experience has been designed for VR, describing it as a virtual concert “experience” that will give users a glimpse into Fatboy Slim’s mind.

The company’s CEO David Whelan expressed high hopes for the concert and said the experience will “make the music industry stand up and take notice”.

“What is really exciting is the fact we have not tried to replicate a real-world physical concert but instead are providing our concert goers with a unique experience they simply cannot get anywhere else other than inside the Engage platform,” Whelan said.

“You will visit places from Norm’s past, travel inside his head and even skydive at different parts of the experience.”

Engage XR, formerly called VR Education, officially launched its enterprise-focused metaverse platform, Engage Link, last year.

The Waterford-based company teamed up with big names including Lenovo, HTC and Stanford University to help create its platform.

The company aims to showcase the platform with this new concert, which will let “thousands of concert goers” enjoy new and old mixes from Fatboy Slim.

The metaverse-focused company has shared details on how to join the virtual event and said it will be best experienced on VR headsets. Mobile devices and standalone headsets released prior to 2020 are not supported.

Engage XR, which was featured as a SiliconRepublic.com Start-up of the Week in 2015, provides users with a platform for creating, sharing and delivering VR content for education, training and online events through its virtual campus, office and events products.

The company has been pivoting its offering in recent years, and raised €9m in a share placing last year to build its ‘metaverse for business’.

Engage XR also integrated AI into its platform this year, with a virtual avatar called Athena that can take voice commands and complete tasks. The avatar is powered by AI tools such as ChatGPT and DALL-E, with plans to add more functionality and programmes in future.

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Leigh Mc Gowran is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com