Chart Toppers.
Format
Live Gameshow
Role
Game Designer & Writer
Client
MSC | The Department
Ships
Across 14 ships
Annual Reach
500k+
Mass-Participation Live Music Gameshow
Chart Toppers is a live music gameshow for large cruise audiences, built around three distinct rounds and a Final Showdown format that keeps the whole room in play from the first clip to the last second of the clock. Rather than a straightforward points system, teams earn time — banking seconds across three escalating rounds that carry directly into a high-stakes finale. The format is designed for daily repetition, broad age appeal, and delivery across a fleet, with multiple music packs covering a wide range of genres and eras.
Why It Works.
Original format rolled out across 14 ships in the MSC fleet
Three mechanically distinct rounds — buzzer knowledge, audience sing-along, and two-song mashups — sustain energy across the full 45-minute show
Time-banking scoring keeps losing teams in the game until the final second
Gold Record power card creates a single high-jeopardy decision moment per team per round
Designed for whole-room participation, not just contestants on stage
Multiple music packs ensure variety across sailings and broad genre coverage
REACH.
Deployed across 14 ships in the MSC fleet
Designed for high-density audiences with minimal reset time between shows
Multiple music packs allow consistent delivery to diverse passenger demographics across the full fleet
Reach of around 500k per Year