A game developer has quickly turned one of this week’s most viral scandals into a fully playable video game. The Astronomer CEO cheating scandal, which exploded online after a Coldplay concert on July 17, is now the subject of an interactive game called “Coldplay Canoodlers.”
Footage from the concert showed Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his company’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot, embracing while swaying to music at the event. The moment was captured live on the venue’s jumbotron, and Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin jokingly commented, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
Social media users quickly confirmed the pair’s identities, setting off a wave of online memes and speculation. Both Byron and Cabot were placed on leave just one day after the incident, as Astronomer announced a formal internal investigation.
While the internet reacted with jokes and commentary, X user and developer “songadayman” decided to go one step further—by creating a video game inspired by the viral moment. In just a few hours, he developed Coldplay Canoodlers, a “Where’s Waldo”-style game where players search for the infamous couple hidden in a concert crowd.
The game became an instant hit on social media, with users sharing scores and gameplay clips online. One player reportedly scored 110 points at the time of writing. The developer joked about auctioning off daily “vibe-coded” video games after receiving unexpected sponsorship offers.
Known for creating a new song every day using AI tools, songadayman has now found major success with his meme-based game, proving just how fast internet culture can turn real-life events into entertainment.
Meanwhile, Astronomer has released a statement confirming that an internal review is underway. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” the company said.
