Fortnite Festival Will Support Instrument Controllers, but Harmonix Has "No Plans" to Make New Ones

When Fortnite Festival released earlier this month, one of the biggest questions that surrounded the game was whether it would feature the support of instrument controllers. Epic Games quickly confirmed that support for these types of peripherals is "currently under development," and additional details have now been revealed by Alex Rigopolous, the co-founder and creative director of Harmonix. in a new interview with Game Informer, Rigopolous reiterated that Harmonix is "actively working on" support for instrument peripherals. However, fans should not expect to see Harmonix or Epic Games working on new peripherals for the game. 

"We don't have plans to manufacture new ones. But I won't be surprised if some of the companies that do make peripherals when they see the groundswell around this game – for the first time in a decade, there will be a reason for these companies to start making instrument peripherals," said Rigopolous. 

At this time, we have not seen any new instrument controllers announced for Fortnite Festival, but it seems that PDP is working on a new option. Earlier this month, the company teased a new guitar controller that will apparently be revealed in January. The teaser appeared in a Tweet that had several emojis that pointed to Fortnite Festival. That's good news for anyone that doesn't have an old controller from Guitar Hero or Rock Band. However, those that do have an existing controller will be happy to know that Epic Games is working to make them compatible. Rigopolous noted that the goal is "to support as many legacy peripherals as we possibly can."

What is Fortnite Festival?

Fortnite Festival is one of three new games that were released by Epic Games earlier this month. All three games are being treated as separate experiences, but are playable for free within Fortnite. In addition to Fortnite Festival, there's also LEGO Fortnite and Rocket Racing. Fortnite Festival is developed by Harmonix, the studio responsible for rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. So far, LEGO Fortnite seems to be the clear favorite of these three games, but that could change once instrument controller support is added!

Guitar Hero, Rock Band and the Plastic Instrument Craze

In 2005, Guitar Hero launched on PlayStation 2 alongside a controller inspired by the Gibson SG. While the game was not the first to feature a plastic instrument peripheral, the original Guitar Hero inspired countless sequels, spin-offs, and similar games. Rock Band's release in 2007 took things even further, offering not just a guitar controller, but also a microphone, drums, and a bass guitar. The craze would fizzle out after a few years, and the old plastic instruments spent years clogging the shelves at thrift stores. There are still a lot of fans of the original games though, and streamers on Twitch and YouTube continue setting new records. There's definitely an opportunity for Fortnite Festival to appeal to these types of players! 

Are you excited to use guitar controllers in Fortnite Festival? Do you plan on using one of your old controllers? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!