Musicians and technologists Joel Zimmerman (aka deadmau5) Richie Hawtin (aka Plastikman) and music industry visionaries Ben Turner (Graphite, IMS: International Music Summit, AFEM: Association for Electronic Music), Dean Wilson (Seven20 Entertainment/mau5trap), and Inder Phull have launched a new gaming venture named PIXELYNX centred around the exploding ‘direct-to-avatar’ eco-system.
The company, based in London and Los Angeles, is focused on creating a bridge between digital collectibles, gaming and virtual worlds.
In development for over six months, PIXELYNX will work with clients to digitise their brands into collectible goods for use in gaming and virtual worlds and is already creating a portfolio of virtual worlds for a range of clients.
Describing the company’s long-term function as the “portal into the metaverse,” its founders will use their experience and networks to help drive the shift into a more autonomous and decentralised entertainment world.
PIXELYNX co-founder Inder Phull, a recipient of the annual IMS Visionaries contest in 2016, stated:
“We are on the edge of an exciting transition in entertainment where the lines between gaming, music, fashion, art and technology are being blurred. The physical/digital crossover is here to stay and if you look beyond the hype it’s easy to identify the types of companies that will define the next generation of culture. Fortnite, Roblox and emerging virtual environments will represent the future of social life.
“Our mission is to help our partners enter this space and bring value to their fans in a meaningful way. Ignoring this new medium is like being late to e-commerce or social media. The metaverse is coming, embrace it and re-imagine what it means to connect with your fans and consumers.”
“As we step over the threshold into extended reality, the future is truly upon us,” added Richie Hawtin.
“PIXELYNX is here to support a positive and creative acceleration into this new space, collaborating with artists to empower their creativity in this new medium and with brands to develop unique digital assets that have meaning and value.”
“What PIXELYNX is offering goes beyond a ‘let’s dip our toes into the metaverse’ situation,” furthered Joel Zimmerman.
“The virtual world is continuously expanding and changing which is really exciting and we are growing with it, especially into new sectors like music and fashion. Gaming, virtual worlds and interactive experiences offer limitless possibilities which we are able to carve new pathways forward in.”
Zimmerman and Hawtin, both Canadian, are influential electronic musicians, and Hawtin is an early pioneer from the Detroit movement of the late ‘80s,who shot to fame via his Plastikman releases before becoming one of the genre’s most innovating DJs - the first to take the performance art from physical to digital and was one of the first investors in Beatport. Today he is on the board of the Plus 8 Equities music and technology investment fund.
Zimmerman is one of the most successful electronic producers of our time. Exploding through the Beatport platform in 2007, he has gone on to become a leader in the convergence of music and gaming and is deeply invested in the space as both artist, developer, designer and investor.