Virgin Music Group, WAKEONE and Creative Studio Sawhorse Productions Partner to Deliver Fandom in Hugely Popular Game Platform Rec Room for K-Pop Stars ZEROBASEONE
(Los Angeles, CA October 1, 2025) Virgin Music Group, the world’s leading partner to independent artists, labels and entrepreneurs, K-Pop label partner WAKEONE and creative studio Sawhorse Productions put together a week of events on the hugely popular video game platform Rec Room to drive fandom for K-Pop stars ZEROBASEONE (ZB1), whose first full-album NEVER SAY NEVER was released on September 1st (KST). ZEROBASEONE became the first K-Pop group to serve up a Rec Room takeover for their fans.
The comprehensive Rec Room week-long ZB1 takeover invited fans to engage with ZEROBASEONE in a number of environments within the platform, including a special AMA session with the band and a number of top influencers, a quest to unlock exclusive prizes, a variety of ZB1-themed games and exclusive access to band merchandise.
The collaboration was a resounding success with more than 4.4 million impressions across all initiatives, including more than 1 Million total plays within Rec Room and more than 50,000 hours of total playing time.
“Meeting fans where they are is the most important component of any marketing campaign,” said Connor Hachey, Vice President of Global Digital Strategy at Virgin Music Group. “And this opportunity did exactly that, working with Sawhorse and WAKEONE to create excitement for ZB1’s fans in the Rec Room environment was hugely impactful for this album release.”
Nic Hill, Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Sawhorse commented: “We’re excited to partner with Virgin Music Group to help bring ZB1 to Rec Room. Reaching the Gen Z audience today can be challenging, so creating immersive activations on leading UGC gaming platforms like Rec Room is one exciting way to do it. It’s amazing to partner with the talented organic developers and influencers across the platform to build out immersive and compelling activations, and our ZB1 launch is no exception.”
With more than 100 Million lifetime users, Rec Room creates an environment where fans can play and hangout with their friends from all around the world. Rec Room is free and available on a wide range of platforms, including PC, mobile phones, VR headsets and game consoles. It’s the social app you play like a video game!
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About Virgin Music Group
Virgin Music Group is the world’s leading partner to independent music companies and artists who require a standalone team with global infrastructure and local expertise in every major music market around the world. Virgin Music Group offers compelling, efficient, and highly flexible global solutions with the most advanced marketing technology available for independent record labels, artists, and entrepreneurs who want to succeed. www.virginmusic.com
About Sawhorse
Sawhorse is an award-winning creative studio transforming ideas into unforgettable content and experiences. Sawhorse creates instant connections between brands and audiences through captivating branded content, viral social moments, and groundbreaking interactive experiences. Sawhorse partners with industry giants and visionaries like Walmart, Google, NBCU, Fanatics, Toyota, Pepsi, and Alo Yoga to craft innovative, multi-platform content and experiences that push boundaries and capture imaginations. Driven by a spirit of collaboration, creativity, and relentless excellence, Sawhorse is on a mission to shape the future of digital storytelling. Learn more about Sawhorse at sawhorsela.com.