Benzinga - by Franca Quarneti, Benzinga Staff Writer.
Nicki Minaj is set to launch her highly anticipated album, "Pink Friday 2," on Dec. 8, 2023, in collaboration with the gaming platform Roblox Corp (NYSE: RBLX).
This surprising partnership was hinted at earlier through Minaj's verified profile and a placeholder experience named "Nickiplaceholder's Place" on Roblox, suggesting an upcoming virtual event or game tied to her album release.
While Minaj's arrival on Roblox may seem unexpected, discussions about her involvement in a virtual concert on the platform surfaced last year.
"Pink Friday 2" marks Nicki Minaj's return to the music scene, being her fifth studio album and the first major release since "Queen" in 2018.
Produced by Universal Music Group NV (OTC: UMGNF) Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records, the album featured notable artists like J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Drake and Tasha Cobbs Leonard.
Anticipation for the album is high, especially with the success of its chart-topping singles, "Super Freaky Girl" and "Last Time I Saw You."
Just 5 hours after its debut, "Pink Friday 2" set a new record as the fastest album by a female artist to reach #1 on US Apple Inc's (NASDAQ: AAPL) Apple Music, surpassing SZA's "SOS".
Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” becomes the fastest album by a female artist to reach #1 on US Apple Music surpassing SZA’s “SOS”. pic.twitter.com/GyOBZ64ZRo— (@QCWorldwide) December 8, 2023
RTC, a key source for Roblox news on X, shared the announcement, which was liked by Minaj herself and an additional 5,000 users.
Nicki Minaj is soon to arrive in Gag City.. but she’s arrived in Roblox for the launch of her new album, Pink Friday 2.She has a verified profile on Roblox, and a group! pic.twitter.com/PgkhX87RNN
— RTC (@Roblox_RTC) December 8, 2023
Nicki Minaj spotted on Roblox. pic.twitter.com/rhvvtUqtJb— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 8, 2023
"I can't believe I'm getting on Roblox because of NICKI MINAJ," another fan wrote.
Furthermore, multiple users asked the star to accept their friend requests on the popular game platform.
This isn't the first time Minaj ventured into gaming extends beyond Roblox. The recent Call of Duty Season 5 update introduced playable characters modeled after iconic hip-hop artists, including Minaj and Snoop Dogg.
The two musicians were featured in the video game, Minaj with a vibrant pink gun and Snoop Dogg wielding a blue and gold rifle.
It's worth noting that shares of Roblox surged by 2.93% following the news and were trading at $41 at the moment of writing.
In November, Roblox posted robust third-quarter FY23 results, surpassing expectations with a 20% year-on-year increase in Bookings to $839.5 million, exceeding the anticipated $829.9 million.
Revenue soared by 38% to $713.2 million. The platform saw a 20% rise in average Daily Active Users (DAUs) to 70.2 million and a 14% increase in average monthly unique payers, totaling 14.7 million.
Impressively, the stock surged by over 46% year-to-date, reflecting strong investor confidence in Roblox's performance and future growth.
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Photo: RBXNews on X.
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