What do Pitbull-themed bald caps and midnight launches have in common?
I know it sounds like a setup to a joke, but hear me out...
There’s a correlation between the cultural impact of midnight game releases and the recent resurgence of Pitbull’s live shows, one that could inspire the return of a missing modern element that may have been accidentally deleted when digital pasted itself in.
Have you ever read ‘Freakonomics’? Anyway…
The OG Midnight Launches
DALE! Mr. Worldwide’s recent resurgence
What’s the crossover?
How music is the ‘glue’ for community
1. The Midnight Launch
Man…the midnight launch. Back in the day when gaming fans used to travel to their nearest retailer for a midnight launch of a game, and it used to be a real community event for fans of a franchise or development studio. Midnight launches were primarily community led.
As the years went on, midnight launches had dwindling numbers mainly due to digital releases and pre-installing (if you have a disc to buy at all!). Even Fortnite’s times square event understood this as I explained in a previous substack.
However, Nintendo Switch 2’s recent midnight launch had positive response. It literally brought a community together successfully as it had an excellent turnout, with Currys reporting selling 30,000 units that evening. This shows that the Switch 2’s midnight launch was an event that you couldn’t experience another way, and people showed up for it. This cultural phenomenon appears in tandem with it being the fastest-selling Nintendo console ever…Is this an indicator worth noting?
Here's a great interview on all things Midnight Release releated.
I’ve only been to one midnight launch and it was by accident. I was on a night out with one of my house mates, sat in Vodka Revs around 5ish pints deep, discussing everything as usual - when we suddenly discovered we both pre-ordered Borderlands 2, and that the midnight launch was in 10 minutes. We had two options:
Head to the bar, acquire an unholy quantity of jagerbombs, head to a series of clubs half-blind, (for)get a kebab on the way home, and wake up early morning with a BPM of 200 and hangxiety, and THEN pick up the game.
Sink our pints, swing by the midnight launch, get some tins for the way home, play it until the early hours and wait for this all to blow over.
And the rest is history. We turned up, chatted with a load of people in the queue, exchanged our stories of the original Borderlands game, who we hope is going to be featured, grabbed our copy and went back home. I fondly remember the sense of community.
What else do people do thats equivalent to a pilgrimage to celebrate a joint moment together? Music shows.
2. DALÉ! Mr. Worldwide’s Recent Resurgence
After lockdown in 2021, Pitbull mentions in an interview that he started seeing fans coming to his shows wearing bald-caps, aviators and suits - mimicking his iconic outfit choice. Since then, he’s made a serious resurgence in popular culture.
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For anyone unaware of who Pitbull is, he’s a prolific Cuban American rapper with a career spanning over 20 years, with bangers such as “Timber”, “Give Me Everything”, and “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”. He’s had No 1 hits in more than 15 countries, has surpassed 14 billion YouTube views, and has 11 million adoring fans on Instagram.
This article details many accounts from fans of Pitbull’s peak era over the last 2 decades with the common thread that Pitbull’s music is inspirational, feel-good music soundtracking great memories, and he has a signature look.
Pitbull said "Every time I'm at a show, I let them know that when you put on a bald cap, I hope you're ready to have the time of your lives - it feels deeper than just music,"
A key factor to note here - his gratefulness is directed towards the community speaking back to him. He listened so much that he even went to play in a Walmart in a small town in Alaska when requested. He made the music he wanted to make into the open, and he met all the feedback with true humilility. He’s come across as genuine and easy to define, from the ‘recession pop’ era where we can use nostalgia to associate with the better times.
I compared Pitbull’s show data between 2015–2020 and 2021 onwards (including venue sizes and attendance rates) and found a clear jump in demand since the viral bald-cap trend began:
Given this biggest hits were released around 2011, his resurgence runs in parallel to the viral trend of the community-led bald-cap wearing fans.
3. What’s the crossover?
A bit early for a TLDR, but the learnings are:
Fans will pilgrimage IRL for community. The effort is part of the magic.
These moments are led by the community, nurtured by the creator. Support matters more than control.
Values are often easy to define. Sometimes as simple as a bald-cap.
Venues are platforms. The place matters. Presence becomes performance.
It’s about shared intent and light identity. Not deep lore, just enough to say “we’re in this together.”
Pitbull seized the opportunity created by fan enthusiasm, nurturing a natural sense of community - just as the demand for the Switch 2 showed that physically picking it up, rather than simply receiving it the next day, became a shared experience that brought fans together.
4. How music is the ‘glue’ for community
If Pitbull’s resurgence shows us anything, it’s that people still want to show up for shared moments - physically or digitally. There’s already loads of great examples out there (might do an entire substack on those) but my overarching interpretation is as follows:
Physically
Pilgrimaging to a real-world event still means something. That sense of “I was there” becomes a badge of honour. But to draw people together, you need more than just a great stand-alone game. You need to define what being a player or listener in your world means to them. Is it about fun? Resistance? Shared memory? Once you know, let the community shape what that looks like. I mean you get something crazy, like a demand to play in a Walmart in Alaska, or Boaty McBoatface…
Even if you think you know, I’d ask everytime. Use polls, DMs, forums. If the answers seem mad or satirical, good - lean in. Pitbull did.
Artists are still cultural routers. Bigger venues can have big artist providing they are keen, but more nuanced presences I think would be equally as effective here, as long as they are genuinely happy to be there and are having a good time. Otherwise, a considered playlist will nail the vibe and catalyse nostalgia or future association.
I went to see Linkin Park on the weekend - on the way home I went past a fast food shop that was blasting Hybrid Theory. It was busy - well done on the research!
Digitally
I know there’s lots of costs with physical events + travel requirements, but your community need a platform somehow. Discord or YouTube Premiers are already incredible places to host a community, and launching parallel-gaming events here could be a move. Could be a bedroom set from an artist who’s a fan of the franchise live streamed, even just a cameo. Even events on the hours leading up until midnight, such as puzzles, riddles, AMA. Posting previous mixes containing gamemotifs. You could get incredible qualitative feedback from this too.
If it’s a live service game, make the midnight moment tangible. Drop a time-limited music cue. Flip the menu music for launch night. Add a toggleable ‘launch era’ homepage track players can switch back to - like a sonic Blue Peter badge. Something small, but full of meaning.
Pitbull had a resurgence because people could see themselves in what he represented - and he allowed them the tools (bald caps, suits, memes) to express it. Games can do the same, and I think music is the glue.
TLDR
Recent successes with Nintendo Switch 2’s midnight launch and Pitbull’s live show resurgence both show what happens when fans are given a platform and permission to show up, lean in, and express themselves.
The community sets the tone. The creator’s job is to listen and amplify. Music is a key tool that binds it all together.
Make those moments that’s worth taking a picture of…with a Kodak of course.
