Epic Games has bought the game developer behind Rock Band and Guitar Hero, Harmonix. The two companies announced the acquisition separately.
Harmonix’s team will be collaborating with Epic to create “musical journeys and gameplay” for Fortnite, per its announcement. The studio noted that it still plans to move forward with Rock Band releases slated for 2022 and that it will continue to support its older games.
Epic attributed the acquisition to needing Harmonix’s expertise on music creation and distribution as it works on building out the metaverse.
“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 Alex Rigopulos, Co-Founder and Chairman at Harmonix.
“Together we will push the creative boundaries of what’s possible and invent new ways for our players to make, perform and share music,” he continued.
Epic has been expanding its focus on music in Fortnite with its in-game “Rift Tour” concert series, which has already seen Ariana Grande, Marshmello and more take the virtual stage.
In other music news, Lil Wayne and Rich the Kid turned up in a skate park for the new “Trust Fund” music video.
