Creative Virtual Studio, MELON, Transforms Roblox Metaverse into Eye-Opening Online Experiences

There is only one online creative studio to turn to if you want to host a live, zombie flamingo-themed rock concert or a strawberry shake-styled avatar sneaker launch, which also happens to attract millions of virtual fans from around the world — and that is metaverse studio powerhouse MELON.

There are multiple reasons MELON is Roblox’s go-to developer for many of the platform’s biggest metaverse experiences and virtual brand launches. On any given day, the creative team at MELON are collaborating with Roblox’s product and tech executives, as well as their entertainment, marketing and brand promotion teams on formative projects across the platform. 

Beyond the consistent cooperation with the Roblox team, MELON, led by Josh Neuman, president and experienced brand strategist / music industry pioneer, as well as Devon Thome, CEO, founder, gamer, and long-time developer, has a trump card — their software. Over the last several years, they have been building their gaming intellectual property, including infrastructure, economy and systems, on their own cloud service. Thome and Neuman designed their virtual studio to be flexible and compatible with any digital world, such as the Roblox platform. And because the bulk of their infrastructure is designed, tried, and tested ahead of time, the major focus of their development work prior to a launch can be on the most exciting part of developing — the pizzazz. 

“We are focused on creating experiences that haven’t been felt before,” said Devon Thome. “Pushing the boundaries of what is possible, building unexpected new worlds, designing exhilarating adventures and bringing it all to the widest audiences possible.” 

Because they are ahead of the competition on proprietary software designed for the metaverse, MELON’s experiences are white glove and premium, offering partners creative concepting, rapid product development, motion capture based animation, and advanced analytic reports. And the biggest names and brands in culture and entertainment have taken notice.

In the last year, MELON has designed or helped design mind-bending digital music venues in Roblox’s gaming metaverse, including consulting work on a highly-stylized western motif for Lil Nas X (30 million views), and a fantastical Swedish lake house for Zara Larsson, which saw 3.8 million visits, 1.6 million of those being unique users. They recently partnered with PacSun to develop exclusive branded virtual goods in the Roblox marketplace, allowing online visitors to purchase clothing and accessories for their avatars. With the collaboration of the Roblox team and platform, MELON is also actively working with the world’s biggest entertainment corporations and household brands.

“The genius of Roblox’s infrastructure and system is that it is highly symbiotic,” said Thome. “When its developers, like MELON, score big, so does Roblox — and vice versa.” 

With the team MELON has brought together, Neuman and Thome see nothing but star-level potential and a meteoric rise for the highly skilled developers, marketers and managers that make up the creative virtual studio. 

“Our team has a deep history in creating groundbreaking moments at the intersection of entertainment, brands, and culture,” said Neuman. “In our careers, we have worked intimately with hundreds of superstar artists and played a pivotal role in building large scale music and media companies, as well as leading creative and executing highly engaging partnerships.”

Neuman, co-founder and former COO of 88rising Music Group, THUMP/Recreation Worldwide (subsidiary of VICE Media), and a former manager of artists such as Tiësto and Fall Out Boy, along with Thome and the rest of the MELON crew are plugged into all the latest trends in the gaming metaverse and are well known by all the biggest players in the user-generated content world. Neuman’s previous work has been instrumental in some of the following brand / cultural icon partnerships: Skrillex and Red Bull, Kanye West and Samsung, Zedd and Bud Light, as well as Twitter partnering with Intel/HP and VICE Media with Diageo. 

And now, the skilled coders and creative storytellers at MELON have their sights set firmly on the frontier of the gaming metaverse. Thome and Neuman are driving their company toward exciting up-and-coming releases, including AAA original games, top-tier IP partnerships and a major brand agency business.  

“Gaming is the new medium for entertainment,” said Thome. “If we don’t capitalize on how engaging gaming can be, then what makes that experience any different than a static YouTube video? That’s why what we build resonates — it is a unique experience.”

For example, Roblox users visiting the PacSun marketplace designed by MELON have discovered not only a virtual clothing store, but a dynamic gaming experience with visually stunning motion capture graphics. For an event like a Zara Larsson Dance Party, there were not just artist Q&As and Zara-themed easter eggs, but also leader boards and mini games for gamers, and merchandise, skins, emotes, and clothing for Roblox fans. With Thome’s gaming background and Neuman’s brand experience and artist management network, MELON is uniquely well-suited to launch any online event into the digital stratosphere. 

“MELON is a one of a kind  creative metaverse studio with the skillset to deliver full strategy through execution; you have others that have the industry connections but don’t know how to produce, or developers that know how to produce but don’t have the relationships or experience working with outside partners,” said Neuman. “We have the core infrastructure to scale for everything we want to pursue. What we do drives massive fan engagement and paths to monetization, with a hyper focus on the Roblox platform.”

About MELON

Creative metaverse studio, MELON, sets the new standard for virtual experiences, events, concerts, games, and entertainment through collaborations with brands, artists, corporations, and cultural movements. Using innovative proprietary software and long-standing brand management connections, the MELON team offers their partners inventive production and highly creative gaming along with extensive entertainment and media industry experience. With a firm focus on the Roblox platform, MELON stands at the crossroads of the ever-expanding metaverse, merging cultural trends, brands, artists, products and media content into fantastically inventive, deeply engaging experiences for virtual audiences around the globe.