How Immersive Tech Is Redefining Fandom

If you watched season 2 of Apple TV+’s hit show “Severance,” you know this season wasn’t just about the show itself. Watching with friends, spreading theories among fellow fans online, and immersive marketing like their Grand Central Station pop-up cemented the show as a participatory cultural experience. It's the ultimate wish fulfillment of being sucked inside the screen, blurring reality with escapism.

Whether it’s music, film and TV, or gaming, fans are no longer just audiences— they’re stakeholders. The days of passive fandom are over—people want to be immersed in the world of their favorite properties, to feel like they are working in the Macrodata Refinement office themselves. 

SXSW 2025 offered several immersive adventures this year, such as FX’s “Alien: Earth” space vessel crash and Netflix’s “Love is Blind” activation where fans could sip from branded goblets and meet their favorite cast members. These activations moved beyond NPC (non-player character) style immersion and asked visitors to be in the story, even briefly, to great effect.

Gaming has led the way in engaging audiences for a long time, moving toward decentralized experiences, community-led game development, and participatory world-building. Other entertainment industries are now racing to adopt the same strategies, realizing that photo worthy only promotion will no longer cut it. The most successful brands will create new economies through AR, virtual fan spaces, or interactive concert tours like the Metallica VR experience.

How can brands create immersive experiences?

• Experience Architecture > Audience Engagement: Audiences want to feel they’re in conversation with brands, not being marketed to. 
• Goodbye, Traditional Revenue Streams: Interactive spaces and shows will outperform traditional ad models.
• Create Spaces, Not Just Content: Invest in digital, physical, and hybrid experiences.
• Look to Gaming for Inspiration: The gaming world is ahead of the curve with embracing interactive experiences, and those who follow suit will define the next cultural frontier.
• Recognize Creators as Cultural Architects: Influencers are no longer leading only product sales, but also lifestyle. Business leaders should partner with and learn from them.

To read more about how immersive tech is the next big thing, check out the 2025 PwC Insights Report and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with all things SXSW.