In a sign it really has hit the big time, viral multiplayer Roblox smash Steal A Brainrot – which was the first game on the platform to surpass 25m concurrent players following its launch last year – has announced it’s getting its first celebrity concert, with Bruno Mars set to make a “pop up” appearance to promote his new single this weekend.
Steal A Brainrot, in which players battle to acquire Brainrots (these, Wikipedia informs this old and bewildered writer, are voxel characters based on the Italian brainrot meme), has become a big enough success since its release last May that its developer, Spyder Games, is already embroiled in legal battles as it attempts to quash copycat games. And Bruno Mars’ people have clearly noted its success; the musician will be performing his new single I Just Might, alongside older hit Locked Out of Heaven, in-game this Saturday, 17th January.
This, according to Spyder Games, makes him the “first-ever artist to ‘pop up'” in Steal A Brainrot, and his appearance will be accompanied by the opportunity for players to “finally” collect Bruno-themed traits and a limited-edition in-game Bruno Brainrot. You can register to be notified about the event, should you be desperate to catch it, over on the Roblox website.
Away from Steal A Brainrot, Roblox has, of course, routinely found itself making headlines for all the wrong reasons, with the hugely popular platform frequently being accused of failing to safeguard its predominantly young userbase from harmful content and sexual predators. Last year, for instance, the US state of Louisiana sued Roblox, alleging the company “endangers the safety of” and facilitates “the sexual exploitation of [the state’s] children”, citing the availability of “highly inappropriate” mini-games including Escape to Epstein Island, Public Bathroom Simulator, and Diddy Party. Over 20 lawsuits accusing the company of enabling sexual exploitation were filed in US federal court last year, including submissions by Kentucky and Texas.
Roblox, for its part, has taken steps it claims will improve child safety amid continued criticism of its platform, most recently rolling out facial age verification around the world earlier this year.
