Elton John has designed his own Roblox land that will host a special virtual performance later this month

‘Elton John Presents: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ went live today (November 3) and the metaverse experience features interactive challenges set to John’s greatest hit songs, daily scavenger hunts and trivia quizzes.

There’s also a digital fashion collection inspired by John’s most celebrated outfits. According to a press release, “fans can try on complete outfits or mix-and-match individual items to recreate Elton’s look on their avatar.”

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be launching ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ on Roblox. I’ve seen the joy that Roblox has brought to my boys,” said John before talking about the “possibilities it creates by the ability to interact with fans in such an exciting, and forward looking way. I’ve always been myself and used my image, eyewear, and music to express myself, and Roblox really encourages that self-expression. Now my fans can do the same, and that’s really exciting,” he added.

‘Beyond The Yellow Brick Road’ will also host a special Elton John virtual performance. Premiering November 17 and repeating every hour until November 20, the ten-minute gig will feature John’s “best loved songs”.

“At every step of my career, I’ve always wanted to push forward and look to the future, and ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ is the next step on that journey as I prepare to step away from live touring after 50 years on the road. It’s genuinely thrilling, and I can’t wait to see the response from my fans and the Roblox community,” explained Elton John.

The experience comes as Elton John is set to bring the US leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour to a close, by returning to Dodger Stadium on November 17. He’ll then continue the UK and European leg of the tour next March. 

David Furnish, CEO of Rocket Entertainment, added: “Elton is a visionary creative with a life full of major music and fashion moments significant to the culture of then and now and lived his life like an avatar. ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ is an extraordinary collection of some of these moments that we have had a lot of fun recreating with the Roblox community. As Elton says farewell to touring at Dodger Stadium, we’re excited for the opportunities that spaces like Roblox offer to ensure Elton’s music and legacy may continue to bring joy to the world.”

According to Roblox, ‘Elton John: Beyond The Yellow Brick Road’ will continue to live on after the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ gigs as “an immersive timeless capsule of his craft in the metaverse”, with new experiences, music, fashion being added.

So far this year, Roblox has seen artists such as Pinkpantheress, David Guetta, Lizzo, Stray Kids, Charli XCX, George Ezra and Yungblud perform in-game.

Speaking to NME, Roblox‘s former vice president and head of music Jon Vlassopulos said these virtual performances “open up the excitement of hanging with your friends at a live music performance to hundreds of millions of people who would never have the opportunity to go to a real world event.”

However a recent San Francisco lawsuit has accused Roblox of enabling the sexual and financial exploitation of an underage girl.

Roblox has been accused of failing to protect its young user base in the past. Last year, People Make Games investigated the dangers to young people on the platform, and how Roblox’s business model takes advantage of the enthusiasm of young and aspiring developers.

In other news, EA has confirmed it still has one big title to release this financial year, with the secret project coming as part of a “major IP”.