From The Mind of Don Toliver, ‘Hardstone’ Drops Players Into A Heated Turf War Between Two Rival Biker Gangs Fighting For Control of Psycho Valley, Featuring Music From “Hardstone Psycho,” A Fully Custom Map, Immersive Gameplay & More
Leading up to the debut of his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Hardstone Psycho, Hip-hop soul artist and gaming enthusiast Don Toliver launches a groundbreaking new video game titled “Hardstone” in Fortnite. In this first-of-its-kind music and gaming experience, Don gives fans a chance to actively engage with already released songs, as well as an unreleased record from the album as players immerse themselves in the universe that inspired it.
“I’ve been playing Fortnite for years, so this is a huge moment for me to bring my world into the game”, says Don Toliver. “This is a next-level creative moment in my career and it’s crazy that my fans will actually get to experience Psycho Valley and music from my new album this way.”
In Hardstone, players will squad up in teams of 8 and fight for control of Psycho Valley in a heated turf war between two rival biker gangs (Hardstone and Wolves M.C.). In this new take of the fan-favorite game mode Hardpoint, teams will battle to capture key locations throughout the map, inspired by Don’s new album.
Hardstone was produced and overseen by Joseph Khoury (SVP, A&R and Marketing), Jordan Chalmers (VP, Custom Activations & Emerging Technology), and William Breslau (Director, Gaming Strategy & Partnerships) for Atlantic Records, and David Cushman (Sr. Director, Metaverse Development) for Warner Music Group.
“We had a blast working alongside Don on bringing Hardstone to Fortnite. His love for gaming really came through – it was amazing to watch him be so hands-on in the entire process. Every square inch of this game has his fingerprints on it,” says Joseph Khoury, SVP of A&R and Marketing. “We had the most collaborative partners in Metavision and 3D Lab who were in it with us every step of the way and helped bring Don’s vision to life.”
Hardstone was created by Metavision, a studio and agency for immersive media platforms, delivering strategy and execution for brands and IP holders in virtual worlds and 3D Lab, a game design studio focused on working with Fortnite and UEFN.
“At Metavision, we’re focused on finding new ways to engage with audiences and tell stories in immersive media platforms, and it’s been fantastic to work with Don, Atlantic Records, and Warner Music Group who all share this same ethos,” said Ashley Lewis, Managing Director at Metavision. “We believe this project will open the floodgates for how artists can interact with their audiences and engage with them on a deeper level.”
Hardstone is free to play and available starting June 10th in Fortnite. Players can find the game by logging onto Fortnite and searching for “Hardstone” from the main menu.
ABOUT DON TOLIVER:
Soul singer, songwriter, and artist Don Toliver has earned worldwide attention for a unique sound that calls out his myriad musical influences of hip-hop, smoked-out R&B, ambitious pop, and even a bit of rock ‘n’ roll, creating a genre-bending lane of his own. After the 2018 mixtape Donny Womack, the Houston, TX native assembled his full-length debut, Heaven Or Hell, which claimed spots on mid-year and year-end lists by Complex and XXL, while Rolling Stone championed him among the “10 Biggest Breakthrough Artists of 2020.” Don then joined forces with Internet Money, NAV, and Gunna for the 4x platinum banger “Lemonade,” which they also performed on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
2021 saw Don team with Lil Durk and Latto for “Fast Lane,” the lead track on Atlantic Records’ F9: The Fast Saga (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), followed by the blockbuster release of Life of a DON, once again showcasing his fluid ability to exist in multiple soundscapes and featuring production by Mike Dean, Hit-Boy, Mustard, and more. Don celebrated 2023 with Love Sick, his third studio album, accompanied by award winning self-written short film, Love Sick. 2024 now marks a spectacular new era for Don as he embarks on his most exciting musical journey thus far.
His latest release “Deep In The Water” followed the hit single “Bandit,” a highly anticipated record sampling Tame Impala’s “One More Hour” which he performed live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Don’s upcoming fourth studio album HARDSTONE PSYCHO arrives June 14th – album available for pre-order now.
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