The love of music is universal, cutting acruniting people across geographies, generations and cultures around the world. And among all music artists, we were able to identify another 25-year old force of pop culture: Post Malone, the most streamed artist globally and a true Pokémon fan. So we created an unexpected collaboration between a 25 year-old brand (Pokémon) and a 25-year-old artist (Post Malone) to drop a Pokémon version of a 25-year-old hit (Only Wanna Be With You).

The culmination of these efforts is a beautifully designed and crafted concert that takes viewers on a journey with Post Malone throughout the Pokémon world, rendered in CGI. Fans both old and new saw favorite Pokémon characters amidst their natural habitats, adding to the ambience while viewers searched for Easter eggs in the clouds. The larger-than-life stadium concert experience underscored Pokémon’s status as a top force in pop-culture.

On Pokémon Day, millions of fans from around the globe tuned in for a stunning virtual concert featuring Post Malone and 30 of the most popular Pokémon characters to celebrate the game's 25 anniversary. An international team of passionate fans evolved the performance from concept to concert over the span of eight months. The process began by first defining the visual look and feel of the experience, including both the visually distinct locales that audiences visit as well as Post Malone’s CGI avatar.

To give the 30-most popular Pokémon habitats that felt natural, we flexed our creative muscle to concept several habitats inspired by the three starter Pokémon types – grass, water and fire – each represented in two scenes. We meticulously animated each character, taking care to ensure every visual detail felt like a natural extension to the 3D worlds that Pokémon fans have come to expect and explore through the franchise’s many videogames and CGI films.

Of course, all eyes were on Post Malone throughout the show. We transported the artist seamlessly into the fantastical concert setting with a purposefully stylized avatar reflecting the artist's wardrobe and style – and even recreated his many tattoos with precision.

In the lead-up to the event, the avatar made a surprise appearance in a teaser trailer that dropped on Post Malone’s social media. In the video, Malone talks about a 25-year-old journey that sounds like his own career, but it’s revealed at the end to be Pokémon’s – just as the live-action Post Malone transforms into his digital double.

Throughout the design and execution of the unique concert experience, digital artistry, design and craft came together to merge both the real and Pokémon worlds – delivering a unique concert experience like no other.