Roblox has done a lot of crossovers and collaborations, but the new one announced today really leaps out at me. The Rolling Stones, the world’s greatest rock and roll band, is coming to Roblox in a new game based on the band’s 60-year history.
“Players will encounter various parts of The Rolling Stones’ legacy trapped inside of colorful crystals inspired by the band’s 2023 album Hackney Diamond,” the press blast explains.
“Players progress through decades representing the band’s eras, working together to find and shatter the crystals while an iconic Stones track from that time soundtracks the gameplay. Doing so powers up a massive tongue-and-lips that releases a surge of rock and roll energy to disrupt each decade and unlock the next — culminating in a globally shared interactive performance that evolves based on community participation.”
Am I irritated, perhaps to an unreasonable extent, by this? Maybe. The Stones are the epitome of rock and roll: “Sex and drugs” are essentially synonyms for Mick and Keith, but you’ve also got a spot of devil worship in the mix, one of the most notorious incidents of violence in rock history, and through it all, some of the most god-tier music ever made. Have no doubt, the Stones are a full-steam money-making machine, but underneath that corporate engine of commerce the spirit of rock remains pure and true—or at least I like to imagine it’s still in there somewhere.