CASE STUDY Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Gen AI and gamification give classical music a reboot
How RCO is reimagining music education to inspire the next generation of symphony fans
5-MINUTE READ
Twelve-year-old Kim logs into Roblox for a brand-new role-playing game. The goal is to learn about music and musical instruments, but it’s fun to brawl with enemies and collect cool treasure. But this is more than just a quest for adventure: the future of the classical music market is in Kim’s dexterous hands.
That’s exactly the mission of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) today: to inspire the next generation of concert-goers and keep their heritage of classical music alive. Established in 1888 in Amsterdam, the orchestra has been a beacon of musical excellence for over a century. Until recently, classical music was typically only accessible to older demographics who were already interested in it. RCO decided to challenge the norm by engaging with youth and reinventing traditional music learning. So, it teamed up with Accenture Song to teleport kids like Kim into the magical, musical realm of “Final Score: The Music Game.”
The hope is to spark curiosity for the classics in players aged 11 to 17 using a medium they already love (all the kid testers already had Roblox on their phones). This way kids can have fun while RCO can benefit from a shrewd business investment. The proof is in the game’s reception: Since the launch, the game has garnered a rating of 90% with 200,000 visits on Roblox.
OUTCOMES
Since the launch, the game has achieved:
90%
user rating
200,000+
visits on Roblox
Building to a crescendo
It’s atypical for an orchestra to release a video game, and “Final Score” is better for it. The first of its kind created by a world-renowned orchestra, the game invites players into a world imbued with music. The soundscapes are original compositions performed by the orchestra, who provided not only the music but also the sound effects. Much like the conductor of an orchestra, Accenture Song brought together human ingenuity and technology in the design, world-building, development, testing and launch.
From Amsterdam to South Africa, it was a global effort, with game developers, strategists, writers, researchers, audio designers and—of course— the orchestra’s musicians onboarded rapidly to accommodate an ambitious timeline. Generative AI tools like Copilot 365, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly and bespoke ChatGPT models made quick work of both the game development—like generating 2D images and storylines—and the project management—like writing user stories. All along, we engaged with over 50 young people at every stage of development to get their honest feedback. Just as we found it crucial to have the client in the decision loop, we always kept the end user in the loop as well—in this case, kids.
The ELJA Foundation, which co-initiated and funded the game’s development, advocates for the positive effects of music education on personal development in youth, seeing art as a way of promoting social cohesion. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), music-based interventions—listening to, making and playing music—can improve public health, psycho-social wellbeing and self-expression. There are tons of benefits, but for the kids, the game is just fun!
Collaborating in harmony
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s vision is to appeal to music lovers and professionals around the world—and the success of “Final Score” is evidence that they are executing that vision. Players with musical backgrounds found their appreciation deepened, but everyone experienced a newfound interest in classical music. It has been a thrilling adventure for everyone involved—demonstrating RCO and Accenture Song’s synergy.
And the adventure continues: the orchestra will soon bring the magic of the game into the real world, playing the game’s music live on stage and streaming the soundtrack on Spotify. With this work, RCO went beyond game development; it transformed classical music into a modern, interactive experience that sparked curiosity in kids like Kim—creating digital playgrounds for learning and entertainment.
Children are the future, so it’s imperative that we invest in their well-being. Ultimately, that is what the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is doing by rebooting traditional music education and awareness for the most tech-savvy generation in history.
Music and technology bring people together. Through 'Final Score,' we are introducing classical music to a young audience in an accessible way.
Dominik Winterling / Managing Director of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra