Harmonix has been pretty up and down over the years. Harmonix flew to the stars on the popularity of Rock Band. Harmonix’s first game came twenty years ago, with Frequency on the PlayStation 2. Since then, they have focused heavily on gaming and music.
The developer has been well known for making rhythm games, like Rock Band. But as these genres fell by the wayside over the last decade, things haven’t been so good. The loss of revenue has evidently hurt the company, and they’ve finally been acquired. Epic, makers of Fortnite and game development suite Unreal, have snapped the company up.
According to the announcement, Harmonix will remain based in Boxton, but will now shift into a new project. The development house will “collaborate closely with Epic to develop musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite“.
Co-Founder Alex Rigopulos had the following to say on the move. “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. Together we will push the creative boundaries of what’s possible and invent new ways for our players to make, perform and share music.”
Harmonix will continue to support Rock Band DLC, and run various events for their games. Basically, this deal means that they retain a certain amount of autonomy. The company will just be shifted towards Epic’s goals. Although there is some bad news, in that no new Rock Band instruments or games are planned.
Alain Tascan, Vice President of Game Development at Epic added his own statement. “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.”
