Epic Games continues its series of acquisitions, all thanks to the popularity of Fortnite and its Unreal Engine technology.
Epic Games
Epic Games, creator of the popular online battle royale game Fornite and the Unreal Engine software, has announced it’s acquired online music company Bandcamp. The move shows that Epic has a stronger focus on attaining music content, with Bandcamp offering a large audience and market for independent music artists.
Bandcamp co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond will continue to work at the company, which will operate as normal but will now move toward a more international focus, Diamond said in a statement.
“Behind the scenes we’re working with Epic to expand internationally and push development forward across Bandcamp, from basics like our album pages, mobile apps, merch tools, payment system, and search and discovery features, to newer initiatives like our vinyl pressing and live streaming services,” Diamond said.
In late 2021, Epic Games acquired music gaming developer Harmonix, the creators of both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. Harmonix is currently working with Epic Games on music experiences for Fortnite, much like the popular Travis Scott concert and the Soundwave series event. These music focused concerts and experiences will play a greater part in the developer setting the stage for its metaverse plans in the future.
It remains to be seen, though, whether this latest acquisition is another play for music content to fuel metaverse ambitions, or how the move will change Bandcamp down the road. But with previous additions to the Epic Games portfolio, and live events with popular artists happening in Fortnite more often, it’s fair to say that the creators of the world’s most popular online game see music content as a key area for the future of the company.
