Daft Punk and Xiangyi Zhu: A New Dimension in Fortnite and Cinema
13 february 2026 в 18:37
After the announcement of their breakup on February 22, 2021, Daft Punk surprised their fans once again by becoming new stars in Fortnite. This game is always on the lookout for unexpected artistic collaborations, and on September 27, 2025, the iconic duo officially entered one of the world’s most popular video games with the Daft Punk Experience project.
Behind the creation of the immersive worlds for this event is Xiangyi (Maggie) Zhu, the project’s 3D artist. Zhu enhanced the visual quality of the experience by translating Daft Punk’s concept art and musical themes into fully explorable digital spaces and interactive elements.
She designed expansive environments that combined a strong architectural rhythm with intuitive navigation for players. The 3D artist also supported the visual language of each musical «world», - shaping scale, silhouette, color harmony, and mood to create immersive and expressive environments. Every element was meticulously crafted to contribute narratively to the Daft Punk experience through form, texture, and composition.
The result was successful, standing out with its immersive portals, world designs, and remix rooms.
Xiangyi (Maggie) Zhu was born in China and later moved to Hollywood, where her career continued to flourish. She has received several awards, including «Best Debut Director» and «Outstanding Achievement (Honorable Mention)» at the 2023 Indie Short Fest in Los Angeles for her animated short film «On the Way».
In «On the Way», - Zhu combines the excitement of discovering new places with a deep sense of personal memory. The film follows a journey through unfamiliar and visually rich spaces, while subtle reminders of home remain present, shaping the emotional experience. This balance between exploring the world and maintaining a connection to one’s roots has become a central element of her artistic voice, as well as her ongoing interest in intercultural and intergenerational relationships. «On the Way» offers a profound insight into her creative process.
Zhu’s background in architecture and photography greatly influences how she tells visual stories, giving her work a clear structure, atmosphere, and emotion. She has lived in cities around the world, including Shanghai, Beijing, Barcelona, Chicago, and Los Angeles, providing her with a broad global perspective.
Among many other projects, Zhu contributed to the creation of John Summit’s music video «Shiver», - collaborated with renowned French contemporary artist Pierre Huyghe, and joined the immersive studio founded by Oscar-winning visual effects artists Ben Grossmann and Alex Henning, Magnopus.
Most recently, Xiangyi (Maggie) Zhu worked on major television projects, including the second season of the critically acclaimed Fallout adaptation from Amazon Prime Video, which premiered in December 2025. The second season of Fallout builds on the enormous success of the first season (2024), which attracted over 65 million viewers and received nominations for Emmy Awards, the Art Directors Guild Awards, and the VES Awards. While the first season proved that video game adaptations could be successful through immersive worlds, the second season further expands the universe by introducing irradiated deserts, shelters, settlements, and factions, while maintaining the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic style of the franchise.
Another major project Zhu worked on in 2025 was «The Wizard of Oz Experience» at Sphere in Las Vegas, an immersive interpretation of the classic 1939 film. This experience generated over $ 130 million in ticket sales as of October 2025. The main feature recreates the film on a massive 16K screen spanning 160,000 square feet at Sphere, using AI-supported visual effects, spatial sound, and multisensory effects like wind and fog to place viewers directly into the world of Oz.
Developed in collaboration with Sphere Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery, Google, and Magnopus, «The Wizard of Oz» at Sphere was nominated for a VES Award in the category of «Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Project»
Behind the creation of the immersive worlds for this event is Xiangyi (Maggie) Zhu, the project’s 3D artist. Zhu enhanced the visual quality of the experience by translating Daft Punk’s concept art and musical themes into fully explorable digital spaces and interactive elements.
She designed expansive environments that combined a strong architectural rhythm with intuitive navigation for players. The 3D artist also supported the visual language of each musical «world», - shaping scale, silhouette, color harmony, and mood to create immersive and expressive environments. Every element was meticulously crafted to contribute narratively to the Daft Punk experience through form, texture, and composition.
The result was successful, standing out with its immersive portals, world designs, and remix rooms.
Xiangyi (Maggie) Zhu was born in China and later moved to Hollywood, where her career continued to flourish. She has received several awards, including «Best Debut Director» and «Outstanding Achievement (Honorable Mention)» at the 2023 Indie Short Fest in Los Angeles for her animated short film «On the Way».
In «On the Way», - Zhu combines the excitement of discovering new places with a deep sense of personal memory. The film follows a journey through unfamiliar and visually rich spaces, while subtle reminders of home remain present, shaping the emotional experience. This balance between exploring the world and maintaining a connection to one’s roots has become a central element of her artistic voice, as well as her ongoing interest in intercultural and intergenerational relationships. «On the Way» offers a profound insight into her creative process.
Zhu’s background in architecture and photography greatly influences how she tells visual stories, giving her work a clear structure, atmosphere, and emotion. She has lived in cities around the world, including Shanghai, Beijing, Barcelona, Chicago, and Los Angeles, providing her with a broad global perspective.
Among many other projects, Zhu contributed to the creation of John Summit’s music video «Shiver», - collaborated with renowned French contemporary artist Pierre Huyghe, and joined the immersive studio founded by Oscar-winning visual effects artists Ben Grossmann and Alex Henning, Magnopus.
Most recently, Xiangyi (Maggie) Zhu worked on major television projects, including the second season of the critically acclaimed Fallout adaptation from Amazon Prime Video, which premiered in December 2025. The second season of Fallout builds on the enormous success of the first season (2024), which attracted over 65 million viewers and received nominations for Emmy Awards, the Art Directors Guild Awards, and the VES Awards. While the first season proved that video game adaptations could be successful through immersive worlds, the second season further expands the universe by introducing irradiated deserts, shelters, settlements, and factions, while maintaining the retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic style of the franchise.
Another major project Zhu worked on in 2025 was «The Wizard of Oz Experience» at Sphere in Las Vegas, an immersive interpretation of the classic 1939 film. This experience generated over $ 130 million in ticket sales as of October 2025. The main feature recreates the film on a massive 16K screen spanning 160,000 square feet at Sphere, using AI-supported visual effects, spatial sound, and multisensory effects like wind and fog to place viewers directly into the world of Oz.
Developed in collaboration with Sphere Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery, Google, and Magnopus, «The Wizard of Oz» at Sphere was nominated for a VES Award in the category of «Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Project»
© Artemenko Olga
