Gorillaz to relaunch ‘Kong Studios’ as online video game

Gorillaz have confirmed they’re set to relaunch their iconic Kong Studios as an online video game.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Gorillaz took over London’s Copper Box Arena for four special gigs that saw them play select albums in full. They also opened the House Of Kong exhibition.

The gallery offered fans a look behind the curtain of the virtual band’s headquarters, and offered insight into the journey they’ve been on since sharing their 2000 debut single, ‘Tomorrow Comes Today’. “House Of Kong is not a retrospective, it’s an audio-visual artwork; an installation that takes a glance backwards in order to identify the path ahead,” creative director Stephen Gallagher said. “This is no ordinary exhibition because in the world of Gorillaz, nothing is ever quite as it seems…”

A special Fortnite pop-up was added to celebrate the band headlining the tenth season of Fortnite Festival. House Of Kong closed its doors last week but now Gorillaz are set to relaunch their classic Kong Studios as a “gamified fan experience”.

The band shared a brief teaser trailer yesterday for the “return” of their virtual creative space. “Kong Studios is the home of Gorillaz, a gamified fan experience where you can explore the rooms and spaces of 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel. It’s also the go-to place to find out everything you want to know about Gorillaz, first,” reads a description.

According to the FAQs, the lobby of Kong Studios will relaunch later today (September 10) at 4pm BST with “more to come very soon.”

The original virtual Kong Studios launched in 1998 and fans could explore the ever-evolving website to find unreleased demos and Easter Eggs before it was shut down in 2008. “I’m wayyyy too excited by this. This was one of my favourite things in the world as a kid,” wrote one fan on Reddit. “I am very hyped for you younger fans who may not have had the chance to explore the original Kong Studios,” added another “Interactive video game version of the studios? HELL YES,” said a third.

At the fourth and final show of their recent London residency, Gorillaz debuted their new album in its entirety, with featured artists including Black Thought, Omar Souleyman, Asha Puthli, Asha Bhosle, Sparks, Gruff Rhys, Kara Jackson, Yasiin Bey, Paul Simonon, IDLES‘ Joe Talbot, Johnny Marr, Ajay Prasanna, Trueno and Anoushka Shankar. Release details for the new record have not been announced yet but earlier this year, Damon Albarn said a new Gorillaz album would be released in 2025.

In other news, Keanu Reeves has said he’d “absolutely” love to return as Johnny Silverhand for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel.

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