Oct 28, 2026
Black Girls Code Staff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OAKLAND, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2026): Black Girls Code today launched Supernova, an original music game now free to play on YouTube Playables. Players build a band, mix beats and jam on Nova's keyboard to unlock secret choruses. The game runs inside the YouTube app and on youtube.com, with nothing to download or install.
The story opens on the night of the block party, when Nova's band bails. Players audition nine musicians, drag and drop their loops for melody, bass and drums, then match colors to unlock chorus rounds and nail the "Repeat After Me" bridge.
Along the way, players learn how a beat is built, layer by layer. Info cards explain concepts like the 808, and Echo, Nova's AI sidekick, coaches them while they make every creative call.
"Supernova meets kids where they already are: on YouTube, with music in their ears," said Cristina Mancini, CEO of Black Girls Code. "A girl can sit down to play and get up knowing how a song is put together. Nova and her band are our own characters, and every round puts the player in charge of the music. That is what our studio is built to do."
YouTube's Playables team invited Black Girls Code to create the game and sponsored its development. Supernova was built with the game studio Make Me Pulse and the YouTube Playables team, with original music produced by Erick Sermon.
"We built Supernova around one idea: the player makes every creative call," said Fonz Morris, head of product at Black Girls Code. "Working with the YouTube Playables team and Make Me Pulse, we put a full music studio inside YouTube, with nothing to download. A kid can go from watching a video to building a song without ever leaving the app."
"Every great record starts with someone stacking one sound on another until it clicks," said Erick Sermon, music producer for Supernova. "Supernova lets kids feel that moment for themselves. This music was made to be played with, and I can't wait to hear what this generation builds with it."
"We are so excited to partner with Black Girls Code to bring SuperNova to YouTube as a fun, interactive way to build real-world creative confidence," said Katie Kurtz, Managing Director of Youth and Learning Partnerships at YouTube.
Supernova extends Black Girls Code's work as a media studio. It joins Code Along, the organization's flagship YouTube series, which has drawn more than 11.5 million lifetime views. Black Girls Code's YouTube channel has more than 182,000 subscribers.
Play Supernova free at https://www.youtube.com/playables/UgkxQyWcxh3ezo-rpBTpaBAGH1OTCsdjYPZH.
Learn more about Supernova at wearebgc.org/supernova.
Black Girls Code provides STEAM education for Black and Brown girls and gender-expansive youth ages 7 to 18. Since 2011, more than 53,000 learners have taken part in its programs. Through camps, workshops and original media like Code Along and Supernova, the organization is working toward its goal of 1 million girls in tech by 2040. Learn more at wearebgc.org.
