Notorious B.I.G. Immortalized in Ethereum Metaverse Game The Sandbox

There’s now a Notorious B.I.G. experience in The Sandbox metaverse, thanks to a collaboration between the game, the late rapper’s label Warner Music Group, and his estate, the metaverse platform announced Monday.

The Brooklyn, New York-inspired area in The Sandbox pays homage to the late rapper, born Christoper Wallace, who rose to fame in the 1990s before his death in 1997. The Sandbox B.I.G. experience, dubbed “Breakin’ B.I.G.,” allows players to meet the rapper’s non-playable avatar likeness in a “2D, arcade-style world” and navigate various quests as an up-and-coming rap star, according to the announcement. 

Quests include tasks like helping out around the virtual Brooklyn community and confronting B.I.G.’s rivals in The Sandbox, to name a few.

“No artist represents the style of the 90s more than Biggie,” said Notorious B.I.G. Estate Chief Strategy Officer Elliot Osagie, in a statement. 

“By bringing the appeal of the 90s style side-scrolling game, starring Biggie's music, to an innovative Web3 platform, we are ensuring that the world he built will continue to be enjoyed by day-one fans and discovered by today’s new generation of fans in fresh innovative ways that remain authentic to Biggie's brand and goals as an artist,” Osagie added.

In addition to the B.I.G. Sandbox experience, a new NFT avatar collection will be released as well as an update to Warner Music Group’s social hub, per the announcement.

“I’m excited for our players to explore a rich Brooklyn environment with an arcade-inspired feel unlike anything we’ve done before,” The Sandbox COO and Co-Founder Sebastien Borget said in a statement. “Fans will interact with Biggie in entirely new ways as they immerse themselves in a throwback 90s adventure.”

Notorious B.I.G.’s likeness joins celebrities like Elvis Presley, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Deadmau5, and Steve Aoki, all of whom have either built experiences or added their likenesses to the voxel-style game. Last year, Biggie’s estate released NFTs inspired by the iconic rapper and previously announced another Biggie-inspired metaverse world called The Brook.

While The Sandbox has also launched collaborations with big brands spanning from Gucci to McDonalds, Warner Music has continued its push into blockchain integrations this year. Warner has planned branded character skins with Ready Player Me and is also working with Polygon Labs to launch a blockchain music accelerator.

Edited by Andrew Hayward