Epic Games has announced the acquisition of Harmonix, the music giant known for big properties such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Dance Central, and more. As you’d expect, the primary purpose of Harmonix’s acquisition is to fuel the Fortnite machine, with Epic Games saying that Harmonix will “develop musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite.” Specifics on what exactly that means haven’t yet been shared.
That said, Harmonix has said in an update published on its own website that it will continue to support Rock Band 4 with addition content, with plans already underway for Seasons 25, 26, and beyond. All past Harmonix games will remain available on Steam and other storefronts as well, while no changes will be made to plans for FUSER either. Meanwhile, the studio also clarifies that though DLC plans for Rock Band 4 aren’t going to change, there are currently no plans to develop and release additional instruments for the game.
Harmonix co-founder and chairman Alex Rigopulos said about the acquisition: “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. Together we will push the creative boundaries of what’s possible and invent new ways for our players to make, perform and share music.”
Epic Games’ vice president of game development Alain Tascan said: “Music is already bringing millions of people together in Fortnite, from our emotes to global concerts and events. Together with the Harmonix team we will transform how players experience music, going from passive listeners to active participants.”
In July 2020, Harmonix announced that it had partnered with Stadia for the development of new exclusive game, though it’s unknown what the status of that project is, or if it even exists anymore.