Complex turned its fashion and music festival into a futuristic video game

Since 2016, ComplexCon has been a place where streetwear aficionados can come together in one place to shop for exclusive gear, listen to amazing live music, and binge on top-of-the-line food trucks. As with most live broadcasts, however, the event doesn’t take place in 2020 – at least, not in the traditional way. Instead of an in-person festival in Long Beach, Complex has built a video game where users can shop, watch talks and shows, and, yes, order from local restaurants.

It’s not a sprawling virtual world where millions of people can congregate in one place, but rather a solo experience designed to mimic the feeling of being at a live performance. ComplexLand is a video game where the main activity is shopping, and you run after sneakers like a hero in the latest open world blockbuster.

ComplexLand will take place from December 7-11 and it’s completely free. The experience was crafted by design studio Jam3 in WebGL, which means it’s accessible through a web browser, whether on desktop or mobile. Once you’ve created an account, you’re immersed in a sort of abstract, futuristic cityscape and immediately prompted to create an avatar, choosing from various branded hats and sneakers.

From there, the experience opens, with a large world full of NPCs to talk to and points of interest to explore. To mimic part of the social experience, there will also be a permanent chat where participants can talk about the day’s events. Most importantly, there are plenty of places to shop.

Complex’s head of collaborations, Neil Wright, says the creative team were inspired by Travis Scott’s appearance in Fortnite earlier this year, but they felt a key element was missing. “Aesthetically, I thought it looked really cool. It was so over the top and whimsical in a really creative way, ”says Wright. “I think for us the only thing he lacked was the business aspect. If you wanted to buy any of the merchandise, you had to go to Travis’ website. You had to go elsewhere for that. So when we were building this world, we wanted to make sure that trade was a priority. “

ComplexLand is essentially a game built entirely around shopping. Yes, you can watch talks where Fat Joe and Lil Yachty discuss the best sneakers of the year or listen to T-Pain’s thoughts on the future of esports. (All threads will be streamed via YouTube Live.) But you’re also roaming a sci-fi city in search of the latest gear. Complex has partnered with fashion brands like Adidas, BAPE, and Tokidoki for virtual stalls that users can visit to purchase exclusive sneakers or hoodies. Everything is branded and purchasable: there are artist booths where individuals can sell their work, or you can drop by a Perrier booth covered in Takashi Murakami’s iconic smiley flowers.

The experiment also gamifies that ubiquitous part of streetwear culture: the limited drop. As players explore the world, they will receive notifications that a further drop is about to occur. From there it works much like an open world game like Assassin’s Creed. Your minimap will show you the general area where the drop can be found, but it’s up to you to find it. If you are successful, you will be placed in a queue for the opportunity to purchase any item. “In my perfect scenario, your avatar will shop, and then you’ll be alerted that a drop is going to occur. And you have to stop what you’re doing and then try to locate it in the world, ”Wright says.

Perhaps the most ambitious aspect of ComplexLand is the food trucks. You can get on a virtual truck, order food and have it delivered to your home. Here’s how Wright describes it:

This is something we really wanted to make sure we could do because ComplexCon’s food trucks are such an important part because the restaurants we choose are truly top notch. Basically what you’ll be able to do is when you’re in the world we’ll have four food trucks based on things like burgers or tacos.

At this point your avatar will approach the truck and you will be able to see the menu items that are region specific – so if you’re in New York you get the New York burger and if you’re in Chicago. , you get the Chicago burger – then we’ll work with the restaurant to make this item available through their delivery platform. Once you have selected the menu, you will be connected to the food delivery service of the restaurant of your choice, and it will be delivered to you.

ComplexLand represents the confluence of several trends, from events going virtual to the collision of fashion and gaming. These two elements have become more important in 2020, whether it is Balenciaga creating a game to show off its next clothing line, Lil Nas. X occurring inside Roblox, or Animal crossing fans working together to design streetwear in the game.

ComplexLand differs in some ways because it’s so overtly commercial, designed explicitly for shopping, but it could also be an indication of the future of virtual worlds. After all, FortniteMuch of the company’s continued growth relies on pop culture collaborations with Marvel. Star wars. Brands are everywhere. ComplexLand simply embraces this fact more than most. And while it was originally designed for a week-long event, it could also become a more permanent virtual space.

“We built it with the goal of probably bringing it back,” Wright says.