The US superstar’s exclusive concert within the virtual universe drew 12.7 million viewers, as he readies to head out on the road in the real world
He might only have performed two songs (latest single I Just Might and 2012’s The Romantic) for a total of eight minutes, but Mars was able to draw nearly 13m viewers to the Steal A Brainrot minigame that exists inside the popular virtual world.
The performance took place over the weekend (17 January) and, rather than create his own experience within the game, Mars partnered with the established Steal A Brainrot game, becoming the first artist to appear in the game.
Steal A Brainrot debuted in May 2025 and, since then, has quickly amassed over 55bn visits. Partnering with an already successful entity, rather than gambling as a standalone offering, was clearly seen by Mars and his team as having potentially greater impact.
Having some form of activation inside Roblox is something a wide range of musicians have prioritised in their marketing efforts. The Chainsmokers held a virtual concert there in 2022.
Elton John performed a ten-minute virtual performance and built an interactive virtual world there (entitled Elton John Presents: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road) later that same year. And Saweetie performed a virtual show there as part of the NFL’s Super Bowl LVII event lineup in 2023.
Mars announced details of his new (real-world) tour, his first in stadiums, earlier this month.
Having not toured since 2017, there was phenomenal demand for tickets for The Romantic Tour. The original run of 38 shows across North America, Europe, and the UK – starting in April – had to be quickly extended to almost 70 shows.
Live Nation reported that, with 2 million ticket sales, Mars broke its record for the largest single-day ticket sales in North America.