Epic Games buys Rock Band studio Harmonix to work on Fortnite metaverse

Fortnite and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games has acquired Harmonix, the studio behind the Rock Band and Dance Central series and last year’s FuserThe companies made the announcement in a joint statement Tuesday. Harmonix says it will work with Epic “to create musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite,” but says it won’t be abandoning its other music game projects.

Harmonix explained in a FAQ that they will keep its existing downloadable content plans. Rock Band 4 with “lots of great tracks coming as we wrap up 2021 and push into next year,” and will continue Rivals multiplayer seasons for its marquee music game. FuserHarmonix stated that events would continue in the future and said the Epic move will not affect the availability of Epic’s games on Steam or console.

The Rock Band studio says it will “be working with Epic to once again challenge expectations as we bring our unique brand of musical gaming experiences to the Metaverse.” Harmonix would seem to be a good fit for Epic’s metaverse ambitions, as FortniteThe venue has been host to virtual concerts and musical events featuring Marshmello and Travis Scott in the past.

Epic adopted a global approach for its in-FortniteSoundwave Series was launched earlier in fall to offer musical experiences. This series of music events showcased artists from across the globe. Each show was held in an interactive in-game setting. And French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura.

It’s been a busy year of acquisitions for Epic Games, which has bought out middleware developer RAD Game Tools, Autumn GuysStudio Mediatonic, Sketchfab digital art marketplaces ArtStation & Sketchfab, as well as a mall opening in 2021.