The Coldplay ‘kiss cam’ moment quickly snowballed into something far bigger online. During the band’s concert, the camera zoomed in on Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s HR head, Kristin Cabot. The two immediately moved apart, as if they’d been “caught red-handed”. The audience erupted in laughter, while lead singer Chris Martin joked they could be “just shy” or “having an affair”.

What started as a cringe-worthy scene on the big screen has now become a full-blown internet trend – and unexpectedly, a pixel-art video game.

The clip spread rapidly across TikTok, Instagram, and X, amassing millions of views. Within hours, internet users identified the pair, and hashtags linked to the scandal gained global traction.

Not long after the video made waves, developer Jonathan Mann launched a game called Coldplay Canoodlers, as announced via his X account, @songadaymann. The objective is simple: players must locate the “cheating couple” hidden within a crowd of pixelated concertgoers.

According to Insider Gaming, the game’s quirky and meme-inspired design quickly drew attention. Thousands of users joined in within hours, pushing the leaderboard into overdrive. Some fans even called for more scandal-themed games, to which Mann jokingly suggested he might auction future editions.

The game has since become a viral inside joke — what many are calling a “playable meme”.

In response to the controversy, Astronomer — which counts Salesforce Ventures and Insight Partners among its investors — issued a short statement: “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.” The company added that an internal investigation is underway.

What is ‘ColdplayGate’?

The incident involving Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot sparked a wave of speculation online after the pair were caught on the ‘kiss cam’ looking visibly uncomfortable and attempting to hide their faces. Byron, who is married to Megan Kerrigan, became the focus of online chatter after users noticed she had removed “Byron” from her Facebook name following the viral moment.