Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Epic Games is among the handful of video game companies that seems to always be gobbling up smaller studios, looking to build an empire of development talent. Today, the company adds yet another big name to its arsenal as it has been announced that Epic Games has acquired Harmonix, the team behind games such as Fuser, Rock Band, Dance Central, and more.
Harmonix announced that it was joining the Epic Games family in a blog post on November 23, 2021. “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,” the statement reads. It’s unclear just how much Epic Games paid to acquire the studio.
As for what Harmonix will do under the Epic Games banner, you can probably guess what’s coming next; they’re going to work on Fortnite. “Our team will work with Epic to create musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite.” Epic Games has already interpolated other genres into its Battle Royale game, often through events or Limited-Time Modes. Now, it will look to take that initiative a step further with Harmonix taking the wheel.
For fans of existing games by Harmonix, the developer reassures that not much will change following the acquisition. Rock Band DLC will still be released as planned, and Fuser will remain available on Steam and consoles. Harmonix also confirms that it has no plans to kill servers for any of its current titles.
Though it may be a disappointment to fans of the studio that Harmonix seemingly won’t be working on any original products for the foreseeable future, it’s not a surprise that the studio will be joining the Fortnite development team, especially with all of the licensed music now present in the game.