Ryota Kohama, bassist of ONE OK ROCK and FOOL COOL, is launching Melty Island, a new project he is organizing, together with Alche, Inc. inside Fortnite, Epic Games' popular online game, starting at 6:00 PM (Japan time) on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Melty Island is a project that brings music, art, and gaming together into a single experience.
Built inside Fortnite, Melty Island functions as a practical battle royale-style game in which players take down 99 bots, while also blending original music, artwork, and exploration into a new kind of experience. Rather than simply fighting, players can walk the island, take in the artwork, uncover hidden stories, and let the game spark a wider interest in music, art, and the real world.
The project was developed using Fortnite's new Creative 2.0 mode and Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).
How Melty Island Came to Be
The project began with Ryota Kohama's idea to create a place he genuinely wanted to play in himself, built around the concept of using a game as a gateway to the world beyond it.
Rather than fixing the specifications from the outset, the team behind Melty Island — creators from game development, music, and art — refined the project's world through ongoing dialogue. The result is an experience built around realistic battles, exploration, hidden elements, and music that unlocks as players progress, designed so that the more people play, the more they discover.
Release Overview
| Title | Melty Island 99 Bot Royale (Melty Island) |
| Organizer | Ryota Kohama (ONE OK ROCK / FOOL COOL) |
| Release | 6:00 PM (Japan time), Thursday, July 23, 2026 |
| Map Code | 0325-0159-5730 |
| Price | Free to play (base game) |
| Platforms | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, Nintendo Switch consoles, PC (Windows), iOS, Android, and cloud-based game streaming services |
| Hashtags | #メルティアイランド / #MeltyIsland |
| How to Play | https://meltyisland.com |
Melty Island: The Fusion of Music, Art, and Gaming
Built on a foundation as a genuinely playable Fortnite battle map, Melty Island is an experimental project that uses gaming — one of the most familiar media around — as a gateway into music, art, and culture.
Creators spanning genres and borders came together to co-create a single world, proposing a new kind of expression in which simply playing becomes a way of experiencing the art. The entire island is built as an in-game exhibition that players can walk through, showcasing the work of Swedish artist Emil Öhlund, alongside original songs written for the project by Shuya Yamamoto. Vocals are provided by SennaRin, Hoshikuma Minami, and Bonnie Fraser of Stand Atlantic, with creative direction by Junji Kumahara of STUDIO KONBINI, and a wider group of creators including Jamil Kazmi supporting the creative work. All of it takes shape around Ryota Kohama's message: through games, to the world beyond.
Gameover Glitch
An area at the center of a near-future city where a mysterious glitch spreads out, eating away at the world. Anomalies invisible while dropping in reveal themselves the moment players set foot on the ground — an eerie, beautiful glitch stage where the line between reality and bugs melts away.
GameJaw
An area overrun by a massive monster that appeared without warning. Writhing tentacles tear through roads and buildings as the city's order steadily collapses. Rumor has it that somewhere in this crumbling city sits an office where the Ponken (*) gather.
Meltcore Abyss
An industrial zone dominated by a giant skull — a chaotic area marked by a bottomless abyss, lightning splitting the sky, and creeping, dangerous ink.
Melt Forge
An area where terrain and buildings have been transformed into art by a mysterious ink erupting from a volcano. Harmless to players, this strange ink repaints the world as though it were someone's canvas.
Toybox Commons
A plaza area themed around toys. Blocks and puzzle pieces are scattered throughout, and Ponken (*) can be seen happily darting around melted, oversized toys and skeletons in this delightfully chaotic stage.
(*) Ponken are small, innocent inhabitants that appear throughout Melty Island.
Streaming and Reuse
Melty Island fully welcomes streaming and posting of gameplay footage. Videos, including the original music that plays in-game, can be streamed and uploaded as they are, and monetization is allowed for both individuals and companies. Some restrictions apply, such as extracting or using the music on its own, so check the official UGC guidelines for details.
UGC Guidelines: https://meltyisland.com/ugc-guidelines
Message from Organizer Ryota Kohama
Bassist and photographer for ONE OK ROCK. Drawing on experience gained through activity around the world and encounters with diverse cultures, Ryota Kohama launched this project, taking on the challenge of a new form of expression where gaming, music, and art intersect.
On the project:
Through Fortnite, I came to feel that a game can be more than just play — it can become a place that connects people and cultures. Through this project, I hope that gaming, music, and art will naturally come together, and that it becomes a chance for players to take a step out into the world beyond the game.
Project Members (Melteam)
Shuya Yamamoto
Bassist / Music Producer
Started out in music mainly as a support musician and studio bassist, gaining experience across a wide range of live and recording work. For Melty Island, he served as Music Director, composing and arranging every track and overseeing the project's music production as a whole.
On the project:
I packed a lot of care into every song for this project. I'm looking forward to people experiencing both the tracks featuring our three wonderful vocalists and the instrumental pieces through Melty Island.
Emil Öhlund
Painter & Graphic Designer (Art)
Born in 1985, Emil Öhlund is an artist based in Sweden. He has shown work mainly in Japan, Taiwan, and China, and has created merchandise and cover art for ONE OK ROCK. His work draws on 80s and 90s cartoons, toys, and retro games to depict a vivid, nostalgic, dreamlike world.
On the project:
Video games have always been a huge part of my life, and I see them as art — visual, audible, interactive worlds beyond "just" a game. With Melty Island, we want to create worlds where people can escape, find strength and inspiration. I invite everyone, from all over the world, to play, melt together, and above all — have fun.
Junji Kumahara
Creative Director (STUDIO KONBINI)
Founder and creative director of STUDIO KONBINI. Traveling across the United States, Europe, and Asia, he selects maison archive pieces, vintage wear, and antique goods with his own distinct sensibility, crossing fashion and culture to propose new value and context from a unique point of view.
On the project:
Ryota Kohama, who started this project, has been a friend of mine for ten years. I joined because I was drawn to the idea of stepping back from his unconventional ideas and helping shape them into a coherent world. I'm looking forward to witnessing the moment where a mix of different cultures gives rise to a new form of expression that nobody expected.
Jamil Kazmi
Nothing more, nothing less.
On the project:
I've always believed gaming and music share the same language. Both offer an escape from reality, yet somehow help us better understand and express our own. My goal was to create lyrics that stand on its own outside the game, but when those same words are heard during gameplay, they become part of the experience — capturing exactly what you're feeling in that moment.
SennaRin
Artist
A singer known for her distinctive low, husky voice, with a multifaceted talent that extends to songwriting and illustration. She made her major debut in April 2022 under the total production of composer Hiroyuki Sawano. In January 2026, she was selected to sing an insert song for the film 機動戦士ガンダム 閃光のハサウェイ キルケーの魔女.
On the project:
From the moment Ryota first reached out to me until today, there have been so many exciting moments. He also shared with me a lot of the feeling behind Melty Island. I think this small world called Melty Island is going to bring people from all over the world real joy and comfort. I hope my singing can be a small part of that power. Just like the title "One More Time," I'd love for people to listen to it again and again. Thank you.
Bonnie Fraser
Artist
Vocalist of the Australian band Stand Atlantic. She joined Melty Island as the vocalist on the track "Into the World."
On the project:
it was so so cool to be a part of this project! im a huge Fortnite fan, so to be able to be involved in Melty Island which is not only fun to play but also has such a beautiful sentiment and meaning behind it is something ill always be grateful to be a part of! i love and respect the friends who invited me into this project so much and im so proud of what they've done! thanks for having me sing on 'Into the World'!
Hoshikuma Minami
Artist
Known for vocal work that transcends genre and a decadent yet refined worldview. Her sharp-edged expression, combining music, visuals, and fashion, has earned strong support from alternative scenes in Japan and abroad. With her own distinct sensibility, she continues to bring new cultural context to the table.
On the project:
Living in the now — not the past, not the future, just feeling that you're "alive" in this moment.
My hope is that the instant people step into Melty Island, they can shed every title and label and simply enjoy it with pure, unguarded impulse. I'm looking forward to this becoming a space filled with everyone's innocent sense of fun.
Production Credits
- Executive Producer: Ryota Kohama
- Art / Graphic Design: Emil Öhlund
- Music: Shuya Yamamoto
- Creative Direction: Junji Kumahara
- Strategic Advisor: Kazuhiko Honda
- Vocals: SennaRin, Bonnie Fraser, Hoshikuma Minami
- Lyrics: Jamil Kazmi, SennaRin ("One More Time"), Hoshikuma Minami ("Sanctuary")
- Mix Engineering: Oli Jacobs ("One More Time," "Into the World," "Sanctuary"), Dave Weingarten (帰り道, "Onward," 足音, "A Pause," "Palette in My Head," "Daybreak")
- Planning & Development: Alche, Inc.
SennaRin appears courtesy of Sony Music Labels Inc.
