Epic Games has announced the acquisition of Rock Band maker Harmonix today and will look to create immersive music experiences for Fortnite.
Rock Band and Dance Central maker Harmonix has been acquired by Epic Games, in a move that will seek to push creative boundaries. The gaming giant said that Harmonix’s expertise is needed “to reimagine how music is experienced, created and distributed”. The studio will work closely with Epic to develop musical journeys and gameplay for its flagship title Fortnite. But that does not mean that existing titles will not continue to be supported, or that other plans are changing, as the company said.
“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 Alex Rigopulos, Co-Founder and Chairman at Harmonix. “Together we will push the creative boundaries of what’s possible and invent new ways for our players to make, perform and share music.”
“Music is already bringing millions of people together in Fortnite, from our emotes to global concerts and events,” said Alain Tascan, Vice President of Game Development at Epic Games. “Together with the Harmonix team we will transform how players experience music, going from passive listeners to active participants.”
For users that prefer Steam, Harmonix clarified that their games will continue to be listed on that platform. They also explicitly said that Rock Band DLCs will continue as planned, as will all other content for Dance Central and FUSER.The team will look to create musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite – pictured: FUSER
Although they cannot share any specifics about the so-called musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite, they are excited to start the collaboration!
