Epic Games acquires Guitar Hero’s Harmonix, Fortnite to have ‘musical journeys and gameplay’
Fortnite developer Epic Game has officially acquired Harmonix, the Boston-based developer behind Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Previously, Epic Games has also bought Rocket League developer Psyonix and Fall Guys studio Mediatonic.
According to a statement from Epic Games’ VP of game development, Alain Tascan, Harmonix will play a key part to “build the metaverse”, and will work with Epic to create “musical journeys and gameplay” in Fortnite.
Some also predict that Harmonix would be a valuable addition to Epic Games‘ team as Fortnite has hosted several virtual concerts and collaborated with singers and artists before, such as Travis Scott and Ariana Grande.
“Music is already bringing millions of people together in Fortnite, from our emotes to global concerts and events,” said Tascan. “Together with the Harmonix team we will transform how players experience music, going from passive listeners to active participants.”
What does Harmonix say?
Harmonix thanked fans for the support they had received for almost three decades in a released statement.
“Over the last 26 years we have pushed ourselves to redefine how people experience and interact with music. From the earliest days of The Axe to Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Dance Central, our VR titles, FUSER, and everything in between, we have aspired to redefine what a music game can be,” the statement reads.
“Now, we’ll be working with Epic to once again challenge expectations as we bring our unique brand of musical gaming experiences to the Metaverse, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Alex Rigopulos, Co-Founder and Chairman at Harmonix, applauded this next step for his company and could not wait to work together with Epic Games.
“Harmonix has always aspired to create the world’s most beloved interactive music experiences, and by joining Epic we will be able to do this at scale,” said Rigopulos.
“Together we will push the creative boundaries of what’s possible and invent new ways for our players to make, perform and share music.”
Harmonix assures that its games, such as Fuser and Rock Band 4, will still receive updates and continue to receive support, for now.
FAQ from Harmonix
On its website, Harmonix has provided a special page addressing its official acquisition by the Epic Games and a brief FAQ to answer some questions for the players, which reads as follows:
What does this mean for Rock Band DLC?
Nothing. We’ll be continuing on with our existing DLC plans… and there are lots of great tracks coming as we wrap up 2021 and push into next year!
Will you keep doing Rivals Seasons?
Yup! We’ve got a fun Season 25 already planned and plenty of ideas for Season 26 and beyond.
What about FUSER events?
No change there either!
Does this mean more Rock Band instruments will be made?
This is not in our current plans.
Will FUSER and your other games still be available on Steam?
Yes, all our games will remain available on Steam and console.
What about the servers for [INSERT HARMONIX GAME HERE]? Will those be taken offline?
We aren’t planning to change the way we support any of our older games.
What will the Harmonix team work on next?
Our team will work with Epic to create musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite. While we’re not ready to share any specifics, the whole team is incredibly excited to get started. Stay tuned!
