Epic Games, the studio behind Fortnite, has acquired Harmonix, the developer behind the Rock Band and Dance Central series.
The statement informing gamers about the acquisition specifies that the “Harmonix team will collaborate closely with Epic to develop musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite while continuing to support existing titles including Rock Band 4.”
Fans of the existing Rock Band 4 title can rest easy knowing that Harmonix’s plans for downloadable content updates won’t be affected, which is something that Harmonix emphasised in a blog post.
This acquisition is a fitting one, given Harmonix’s experience with interactive music games. After all, Fortnite has been used to host concerts by celebrities such as Marshmello, Kenshi Yonezu, and Ariana Grande before.
Beyond being a battle royale game, Fortnite has proven itself to be a virtual hub for events and communities to come together, and it’ll be interesting to see how Harmonix’s expertise can push the idea of Fortnite as a social platform further.