SoundCloud Announces Player One, a Livestream Fortnite Tournament Featuring Rico Nasty

Fortnite is the delivery vehicle chosen to carry SoundCloud into the gaming business.

SoundCloud announced on February 3rd that it would host its first-ever gaming tournament, titled SoundCloud Player One, that will stream on their Twitch channel and Facebook page. The event will go live on February 18th, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST.

---

The SoundCloud Player One Fortnite tournament

🎮 SOUNDCLOUD PLAYER ONE 🎮We’re bringing music + gaming together for SoundCloud Player One - our very first virtual gaming tournament sponsored by @Adobe. #SCPlayerOneDon’t miss our hosts @MonsterDface + @Rico_nastyy, the matchups & halftime show. https://t.co/3wdPBMav5a pic.twitter.com/82j2anGWXR

— SoundCloud (@SoundCloud) February 3, 2021

SoundCloud Player One will feature eight different SoundCloud artists competing in a game of Fortnite with hosts: esports commentator Javier "MonsterDface" Collazoand rapper Rico Nasty. The idea behind the event is that it will garner new fans for the artists from the gaming community.

Rico Nasty will be doing more than co-hosting the tournament. The rapper will also perform at Culture House in Washington D.C. during the Fortnite livestream's halftime show. More details will release over the next few days about the exact player lineup, as well as the prizes for the event.

SoundCloud's VP of Brand Marketing, Erika Leone, has this to say about the event:

"With so many of our creators and listeners sharing a real passion for gaming culture, we're stepping into the gaming space for the first time to bring them together to engage in innovative ways and connect rising creators with new fans."

49% of SoundCloud's users identify as gamers. For this reason, SoundCloud hopes to break into the community with gaming events, starting with this Fortnite tournament. Leone explains that live stream events are essential to bridge the gaps between music and gaming during the pandemic.

"We're always looking for ways to help our community...it's become more important now than ever before0yyh with the pandemic limiting in-person connection through channels like concerts and events."

Fortnite has already hosted its own wildly popular musical events with Marshmello in 2019 and Travis Scott in 2020. Each event drew in millions of viewers and required an incredible amount of planning and tech to pull off.

More than 12 million people attended Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert https://t.co/lPKf7o0imP pic.twitter.com/oofOU6CsLB

— The Verge (@verge) April 24, 2020