Fortnite, Epic Games’ smash-hit multiplayer title, has come a long way since its early days as PvE horde-fight 3rd person shooter. First, there was the unparalleled success of its battle royale mode, and then Epic’s decision to turn the game into a virtual concert venue.
This second venture was surprisingly successful. Epic now seems all-in on virtual performances, and has acquired Harmonix, the studio behind Rock Band and Guitar Hero to take them to the next level, in pursuit of the all-important ‘metaverse’.
Epic Games ft. Harmonix
If you didn’t know already, Epic wants to turn Fortnite into a metaverse where users can interact with each other, jumping from games to sports matches to concerts within a fully-fledged virtual hub. Acquiring Harmonix is a step towards this future.
“Harmonix has a track record of creating fun and engaging music experiences designed for everyone to enjoy,” reads a statement from Epic. “As we work to build the metaverse, this expertise is needed to reimagine how music is experienced, created and distributed.”
Fortnite‘s two virtual concerts have been surprisingly successful for Epic Games. Travis Scott’s virtual performance peaked at 1.2 million live viewers, and Ariana Grande’s concert earlier this year peaked at 1 million. Clearly, there’s a market for Fortnite music events.
In a blog post, Harmonix assures its fanbase that the acquisition won’t affect any of its currently supported titles. DLC for Rock Band will roll out as scheduled, and no servers are being taken offline.
“Our team will work with Epic to create musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite,” reads the post. “While we’re not ready to share any specifics, the whole team is incredibly excited to get started. Stay tuned!”