Epic Games says support for instrument controllers in its new Rock Band-esque Fortnite Festival is a “priority”.
Fortnite Festival is a free-to-play rhythm game inside Fortnite that launched last week. The game, developed by Rock Band and Guitar Hero creators Harmonix, drew over 750,000 players in its first hour. Given Harmonix’s involvement, many players were disappointed to discover that their old Rock Band controllers weren’t compatible. However, it looks like Epic Games is keen to bring instrument controller functionality to the game mode ASAP.
Speaking to IGN, Harmonix studio director Alex Rigopulos said “it’s very much a priority for us to support instrument peripherals” in Fortnite Festival. “It’s something that we’re actually already actively working on. We don’t have anything specific to say about it yet, other than it’s coming.”
While Rigopulos didn’t have much more to say about instrument peripheral support, an official Fortnite Festival FAQ says it’s “currently under development,” with Epic Games promising they’ll have “more to share in 2024.”
While this looks to be a confirmation that Fortnite Festival players can get hands-on with instrument controllers sometime in the new year, there are no further details on exactly which instrument peripherals will be supported – and whether old Rock Band or Guitar Hero setups will be usable in the game mode.
Currently, players must use their controllers (or keyboard and mouse, if playing on PC) to hit the game’s notes. Some have gone through the rigmarole of remapping instrument controllers to play through Jam Tracks, including ‘The Hills’ by The Weeknd and The White Stripes classic ‘Seven Nation Army’, amongst a rotating list of feature tracks (and purchasable tracks via the Fortnite store and Season Pass unlockables).
Fortnite Festival also includes new locker items such as Instruments and Auras. Instrument items allow for customisation of your guitar, bass, keytar, drums, and mic, and Auras “surround[ing] you with an ambience as you perform.”
The new Fortnite game mode is just one of many new additions in the last week, alongside the Minecraft-style Lego Fortnite and self-explanatory Rocket Racing (a collaboration with Rocket League). All of these games stand alonside the standard Battle Royale mode players know and love, and the current Fortnite battle pass unlocks skins and rewards across all four modes. Epic Games is really expanding the game’s horizons as it continues to see player hype build in the wake of Fortnite OG, and it looks like Fortnite Festival is absolutely popping off.
Have you played Fortnite Festival yet? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments.
Lead Image Credit: Epic Games
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