The BBC and Improbable MAX-R teams worked with colleagues in BBC Radio 3 and the BBC Philharmonic to create and host a virtual live concert on 23rd November 2024. The virtual event ran in parallel with a live performance with a real audience, as a part of the BBC Philharmonic’s Sound of Gaming concert series. The concert was conducted by award-winning video game music conductor and composer Eímear Noone, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and simultaneously live streamed from the BBC Philharmonic Studio in Media City, Salford via Improbable’s MSquared platform. The Sound of Gaming featured the BBC Philharmonic performing a concert within the world of the game with live performances of music from popular video games, including Fortnite, Baldur’s Gate, World of Warcraft, and God of War Ragnarök.

Audience members could attend virtually as avatars directly from their browsers. The experience employed cutting-edge technology to let participants explore, interact, and enjoy a live orchestral performance of music from the nation’s best-loved game soundtracks virtually from their own home.

This pilot event allowed the teams to test technology developed in MAX-R, including Improbable’s work on enabling 1000s of virtual attendees to occupy the same space, and BBC’s approaches to the use of multiple synchronised video streams to capture a performance from different viewpoints. The virtual world.

Avatars could watch views of the orchestra and conductor throughout different zones of the virtual venue including the interactive galleries (left), the courtyard (top right), and play zone (lower right).

We expected a successful event to include fans engaging for about 15-20 mins, with some dropping in and out throughout. However, the pilot exceeded expectations with the majority engaging with the experience for the full 60 minutes. There were strong signs that they were enjoying themselves, indicated by positive comments in the chat, plus observing their explorations.

Read more about this in articles from BBC R&D (here) and  Improbable (here)