Epic Games acquires Harmonix

Epic Games has acquired music games developer Harmonix, the companies announced.

Harmonix will collaborate closely with Epic Games to develop “musical journeys and gameplay” for Fortnite, while continuing to support its existing titles such as Rock Band 4.

In a brief FAQ, Harmonix further clarified:

• “We’ll be continuing on with our existing [Rock Band 4] downloadable content plans… and there are lots of great tracks coming as we wrap up 2021 and push into next year!”
• “We’ve got a fun [Rock Band 4 Rivals] Season 25 already planned and plenty of ideas for Season 26 and beyond.”
• There will be no changes in FUSER events.
• There are no plans to make more Rock Band instruments.
• All of Harmonix’s games will remain available on Steam and console.
• There are no plans to change the way Harmonix supports any of its older titles.

“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 Harmonix co-founder and chairman Alex Rigopulos in a statement. “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 added, “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.”