The famous Hong Kong pop group threw a virtual concert for eager fans on Minecraft and Microsoft Teams, redefining innovative entertainment experiences

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 17 December2020 - Large-scaleconcerts with raving fans may never be the same again. With the support ofMicrosoft and Cyberport, Hong Kong digital entertainment company Kre8Lablaunched "The Show Must Go On", a brand-new interactive concept thatbrings virtual entertainment experiences to the public.

Hong Kong's local musicgroup, C AllStar, held Asia's first live virtual Minecraft concert in August2020 leveraging Microsoft's popular online gaming platform, Minecraft. Thevirtual concert saw eager fans participate in an interactive entertainmentexperience, combining music, gaming, and live streaming in one single platform. A second edition of the live virtualconcert, aimed at reaching even more fans, will launch on Minecraft in late December2020.

Recognizing theimpact COVID-19 has had on the music and entertainment scene, Kre8Lab saw anopportunity to create immersive and virtual entertainment experiences, withopen-world game Minecraft as the key. The Kre8Lab team designed and built aperformance venue resembling the Hong Kong Coliseum in the game, giving birthto massive potential for virtual concerts.

Built on a robust andsecure Microsoft Azure cloud platform, this immersive virtual experience onMinecraft connected fans from all around the world, through a combination ofmusic and gaming.

The Make It Happen @10 C AllStar Virtual Live cross-platform online concert premiered in the MinecraftVirtual Hong Kong Coliseum. This event coincided with the 10th anniversary of CAllStar's debut, transforming them into Minecraft player characters as theyperformed classic hits from the past decade.

"Under the newnormal, industries need to be flexible in adapting to new jobs andlifestyles," said Kevin Tse, Director, Partner and Business division,Microsoft Hong Kong. "We are excited to see C AllStar using our Azure cloudtechnology and the Minecraft platform to bring Asia its first interactive virtualconcert, coupled with innovative and secure fan interactions through MicrosoftTeams. Microsoft will continue to empower the entertainment industry in pioneeringinnovative entertainment experiences and other possibilities under the newnormal."

Organizers simulatedthe entire process to allow fans to enjoy the full concert experience -- from ticketchecks and temperature taking to entering and finding a seat -- and reproducedthe classic four-sided stage of the Hong Kong Coliseum in Minecraft, includingsurprise stage effects.

Further elevatingthe atmosphere was a mass chorus performed by C Allstar together with theirfans via the Together Mode feature on Microsoft Teams. Fans involved in thevideo conference had the opportunity to join in the chorus in the same virtualbackground, singing along to C AllStar's iconic songs and creating anunforgettable remote experience together with them.

To familiarize newplayers with Minecraft games and break away from the confinements of home, theproduction team of Kre8Lab spent three months crafting the "Super Avenueof Stars" treasure hunt to recreate the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, includingthe iconic Clock Tower, Star Ferry Pier, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, HongKong Space Museum, 1881 Heritage and more in the virtual world. On the day ofthe concert, the organizers invited brands such as FWD House 1881, Reebok,Green Common, Grana, Deliveroo and McDonald's to set up virtual booths,allowing fans to purchase food and merchandise in preparation for the concert, furtherheightening the concert atmosphere.

Riding on thesuccess of Kre8Lab's "The show must go on", the company recently launchedanother initiative called ChungDung, Hong Kong's first interactive virtual singingcontest integrating the Minecraft platform with Extended Reality (XR)Technology. This builds on the company's efforts to engage Hong Kong's growingpopulation of millennials amid the pandemic through immersive entertainmentexperiences.

This was all madepossible with the combination of mixed reality technologies, live-streaming capabilitiesof Azure Media Services and the Minecraft gaming platform. Through technology,participants were able to enter the contest with a personalized Memoji andcompete in a final round streamed live via Minecraft. Kre8Lab also organized avirtual event management workshop to equip participants with the necessary skillsand knowledge for them to host ChungDung's final show event in Minecraft. Thecontest has attracted approximately 150,000 views and 5,000 votes online andcontinues to see engagement amongst users in Hong Kong.

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