Fortnite Festival

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Fortnite Festival
Fortnite Festival Logo in Black.png
Developer(s) Harmonix
Publisher(s) Epic Games
Series Fortnite
Engine Unreal Engine 5
Platform(s)
ReleaseDecember 9, 2023
Genre(s) Rhythm
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Fortnite Festival is a 2023 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by Epic Games. In the game, players perform a song while attempting to get the highest score possible based on their performance. Each song has four different instruments, and players choose which part of the song they want to play, as well as the difficulty of the song, with higher difficulties changing the layouts of songs. A variety of songs can be chosen from, with a free selection that changes daily, as well as the opportunity to purchase songs outright from the Fortnite item shop. Songs available range from those composed by Epic Games Sound Team to those from popular artists.

Contents

The game was released in December 2023 as a part of the Fortnite launcher. Since release, numerous in-game "seasons" have released, which change the games promotional material to be themed around a specific featured artist. Additional updates have also allowed the usage of guitar controllers and added new gameplay modes built with the controllers in mind. Fortnite Festival received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism toward the price of songs as well as the gameplay.

Gameplay

Gameplay of Fortnite Festival on expert difficulty Fortnite Festival Gameplay.png
Gameplay of Fortnite Festival on expert difficulty

Fortnite Festival is a rhythm video game accessible via the Fortnite launcher. [1] The game features two modes, the "Main Stage" and the "Jam Stage." [2] The player is able to choose which aspect of the song they want to perform, with the options being between drums, lead (consisting of the main guitar or other instrumental parts of a song, alternating between in-game guitar or keytar for each respectfully), bass, and vocals (in instrumental songs, vocals is used as an alternate lead part for other instruments). [3] [4]

On the Main Stage, a group of 1-4 players will choose a selection of available songs, and when playing them attempt to time button inputs correctly to the notes of the chosen song, with the players score and combo multiplier increasing the more inputs one gets correct. [2] The player can choose one of four difficulty options, ranging from easy to expert. [3] [4] While the other difficulties only use four button inputs for notes, the expert difficulty uses five. [3] Additionally, "pro" options are available for lead and bass, which take advantage of compatible guitar controllers and feature different song layouts, utilizing different types of notes such as "hammer-on" and "pull-off." [5] After correctly playing specially marked sections of each track, the player is granted "Overdrive", which doubles their current score multiplier. If several players activate "Overdrive" at the same time, the multipliers will stack. [2] [6]

In the Jam Stage, players are able to make mashups of several different songs they own, with the tempo and key of each track being adjustable. This mode has gameplay similar to Fuser , another game previously made by Harmonix. The versions of the songs used in this mode are known as "Jam Loops," and are also playable in Battle Royale . [7] [8]

Monetization and music selection

A variety of songs are featured in Fortnite Festival, being composed by popular artists (e.g. Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Weezer), as well as original tracks composed by Harmonix and the Epic Games Sound Team. [7] [9] While a rotating selection of daily free songs are provided to the player, the player also has the option to purchase a song with V-Bucks, Fortnite's in-game currency. Each song has a price of 500 V-Bucks, equivalent to $4.50. [4] [7] Due to the dynamic approach to the song library, the developers are able to add songs at any time, such as the release of three singles from Billie Eilish's album Hit Me Hard and Soft on the same day as its release in May 2024. [10]

Seasons

Fortnite Festival features in-game "seasons," which are themed around a specific featured artist and adjusts in-game material to be based around them. Each season contains a battle pass system, known as the Festival Pass, which allows players to unlock additional song and cosmetics typically based around that season's featured artist. [11] For example, the season themed around Billie Eilish brought her songs "All the Good Girls Go to Hell" and "Therefore I Am" to the in-game item shop, though made "Oxytocin" only available via the Festival Pass. [12] Additional collaborations include the one themed around the Coachella music festival during April 2024, [13] and another that allowed players to purchase Fender branded instruments. [14]

SeasonPeriodFeatured Artist
Season 1 ("Opening Night")December 2023 – February 2024 The Weeknd [1]
Season 2 ("Unlock Your Talent")February 2024 – April 2024 Lady Gaga [10]
Season 3April 2024 – June 2024 Billie Eilish [10]

Development and release

Fortnite Festival is developed by Harmonix, the developers of the Rock Band series and the first few Guitar Hero games. [2] The game was conceived as part of Epic's goal to expand the experiences within Fortnite, which included Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing . [1] According to Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopolous, their goal was to create a free-to-play rhythm game available to the millions of players of Fortnite, with songs freely available in a manner that allowed for dynamic and quick expansion to the in-game library, whilst also being favorable for music publishers in order to aid this. [15] Alongside the Festival Stage and Jam Stage, Harmonix also developed the "Patchwork" system, which could be used within user-made Fortnite Creative experiences or in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) applications to allow creators to incorporate dynamic music systems into their creations. [15] Fortnite Festival was revealed on December 2, 2023 during an in-game Battle Royale event titled the "Big Bang." A part of the event featured Eminem performing "Lose Yourself" as an in-game concert, with players able to perform the notes of the song as the first reveal of Festival's gameplay. [16]

The game released on December 9, being the last game to added to Fortnite after Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing. [1] Support for plastic guitar controllers was confirmed to already be in progress with the release of Festival. [1] Performance Designed Products (PDP), which previously had supplied instrument controllers for Rock Band 4 , announced a new controller for Festival in January 2024, the PDP Riffmaster. This was released in April 2024, and is available in two versions: one compatible for PlayStation consoles, and another for Xbox consoles & PC. Both versions are also compatible with Rock Band 4, featuring the same button layout and basic mechanisms. [17] With the start of Season 3 in late April 2024, Festival was updated to support the Riffmaster and a select few other guitar controllers, along with updating all past and future songs to include unique "Pro Lead" and "Pro Bass" parts that utilize the features of these controllers, similar to Rock Band. [5] A May 2024 update later allowed players without guitar controllers to play these "Pro" tracks using standard controls. [6]

Reception

Critics were divided on Festival's gameplay, with many pointing it out as being similar to previous Harmonix games with little difference; [4] [2] PC Gamer's Mollie Taylor believed that some song charts were repurposed from previous games. [3] Bailey Dustin of GamesRadar+ wrote that the game had a "winning formula," believing that it worked well like previous Harmonix games that built up the formula for years. He stated that, while he found Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing to have more content, Festival was the one that "captured [his] heart" and where he looked forward to future content the most. [2] Conversely, Taylor described the game as "awfully barebones" compared to previous Harmonix games, believing there to be a lack of polish in certain areas and found the game be unenjoyable when playing an instrument that a song didn't utilize well. Nevertheless, she described the game a "great introduction", though one that needed more work. [3] IGN 's Luke Reilly echoed similar thoughts as Taylor and Dustin, believing the lack of features from previous Harmonix games led to "isolating gameplay" that could make Fortnite players into rhythm game fans, but not vice versa. [4]

Responses towards in-game monetization was negative. Taylor believed that, while it was similar to other free-to-play games, it was a turn-off from the game. [3] Reilly thought similarly, finding it to be a predatory practice when compared to the average prices of music on iTunes and the cost of songs in Rock Band, describing Festival's pricing as "galling" when compared to the latter. [4] Digital Trends' Giovanni Colantonio wrote that it "[left him] wondering if Epic Games bought Harmonix for its music game expertise or for what value it could bring to the Fortnite shop." [7]

Reviewers were generally critical of the "Jam Stage" mode, with Reilly believing it to a "waste of effort entirely" that was effected negatively by the price of in-game content. [4] Dustin wrote that, while the inclusion of a "light version" of Fuser stood out, it typically left him wanting to quit playing after a few minutes. [2] Colantonio believed that the Jam Stage suffered the lack of interactivity compared to the main game, as well as what he found to be the poor compatibility between songs. He wrote that the gameplay "[tended] to become an unmixed mess of tracks that don’t fit together." [7]

Related Research Articles

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., doing business as Harmonix, is an American video game developer company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in May 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy. Harmonix is perhaps best known as being the developer of music video games series Dance Central and Rock Band, as well as being the original developer and creator of the Guitar Hero series before development moved to Neversoft and Vicarious Visions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhythm game</span> Genre of music-themed action video game

Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen. Many rhythm games include multiplayer modes in which players compete for the highest score or cooperate as a simulated musical ensemble. Rhythm games often feature novel game controllers shaped like musical instruments such as guitars and drums to match notes while playing songs. Certain dance-based games require the player to physically dance on a mat, with pressure-sensitive pads acting as the input device.

<i>Guitar Hero</i> (video game) 2005 music rhythm video game

Guitar Hero is a 2005 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2. It is the first installment in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released in November 2005 in North America, April 2006 in Europe and June 2006 in Australia. The game's development was a result of collaboration between RedOctane and Harmonix to bring a Guitar Freaks-like game to United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guitar controller</span> Type of video game controller

A guitar controller is a video game controller designed to simulate the playing of the guitar, a string musical instrument. Guitar controllers are often used for music games such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Um Jammer Lammy: NOW! and GuitarFreaks. The controllers are played by holding down a colored fret button that matches a colored, on-screen note, while pressing the strum bar as the note passes through the target. The controllers also feature a whammy bar, which is used to bend notes and collect each game's equivalent of bonus energy. Different games and models of controllers have introduced additional features, such as effects switches, additional fret buttons, and fret touch pads. The fret buttons are colored usually in the order of green, red, yellow, blue, and orange.

Guitar Hero is a series of rhythm games first released in 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead, bass, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. Players match notes that scroll on-screen to colored fret buttons on the controller, strumming the controller in time to the music in order to score points, and keep the virtual audience excited. The games attempt to mimic many features of playing a real guitar, including the use of fast-fingering hammer-ons and pull-offs and the use of the whammy bar to alter the pitch of notes. Most games support single player modes, typically a Career mode to play through all the songs in the game, as well as competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. With the introduction of Guitar Hero World Tour in 2008, the game includes support for a four-player band including vocals and drums. The series initially used mostly cover versions of songs created by WaveGroup Sound, but most recent titles feature soundtracks that are fully master recordings, and in some cases, special re-recordings, of the songs. Later titles in the series feature support for downloadable content in the form of new songs.

<i>Rock Band</i> (video game) 2007 music video game

Rock Band is a 2007 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the first installment in the Rock Band series. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were released in North America on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was released on December 18, 2007 and the Wii version on June 22, 2008. Harmonix previously developed the first two games in the Guitar Hero series, which popularized gameplay of rock music with guitar-shaped controllers. After development of the series was shifted to Neversoft, Harmonix conceived Rock Band as a new title that would offer multi-instrument gameplay.

<i>Rock Revolution</i> 2008 video game

Rock Revolution is a music video game developed by Zoë Mode and HB Studios and published by Konami. The game was released on 15 October 2008 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. As with similar titles, the game uses various controllers to simulate the performance of rock music, primarily using guitar and drum controllers on its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.

<i>Rock Band 2</i> 2008 music video game

Rock Band 2 is a 2008 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to Rock Band (2007) and the second installment in the Rock Band series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments. Players can play the lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums parts to songs with "instrument controllers", as well as sing through a USB microphone. Players are scored on their ability to match scrolling musical "notes" while playing instruments, or by their ability to match the singer's pitch on vocals.

<i>Rock Band</i> Series of rhythm video games

Rock Band is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero series, the main Rock Band games has players use game controllers modeled after musical instruments and microphones to perform the lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums and vocal parts of numerous licensed songs across a wide range of genres though mostly focusing on rock music by matching scrolling musical notes patterns shown on screen. Certain games support the use of "Pro" instruments that require special controllers that more closely mimic the playing of real instruments, providing a higher challenge to players. Players score points for hitting notes successfully, but may fail a song if they miss too many notes. The series has featured numerous game modes, and supports both local and online multiplayer modes where up to four players in most modes can perform together.

<i>The Beatles: Rock Band</i> 2009 video game

The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 rhythm game developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the fourth installment in the Rock Band series and the first band-centric game. Centered on the English rock group the Beatles, the game features virtual portrayals of the four band members performing the songs throughout the band's history, including depictions of some of their famous live performances, as well as a number of "dreamscape" sequences for songs from the Abbey Road Studios recording sessions during the group's studio years. The game's soundtrack consists of 45 Beatles songs; additional songs and albums by the Beatles were made available for the game as downloadable content.

<i>Lego Rock Band</i> 2009 video game

Lego Rock Band is a 2009 rhythm game developed by TT Fusion in partnership with Harmonix and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the fifth console installment in the Rock Band series, while it incorporates elements from Lego video games. The game was released on 3 November 2009 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii home consoles in the United States. A Nintendo DS version was also developed by Backbone Entertainment.

<i>Rock Band Unplugged</i> 2009 video game

Rock Band Unplugged is a 2009 rhythm game developed by Harmonix in partnership with Backbone Entertainment, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third installment in the Rock Band series and the first to be exclusively developed for a handheld console. The game was released in North America and Europe in June 2009.

<i>Rock Band 3</i> 2010 music video game

Rock Band 3 is a 2010 rhythm game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, on October 26, 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on November 23, 2011. It is the third main installment and the seventh console release in the Rock Band series. As with the previous titles, Rock Band 3 allows players to simulate the playing of rock music and many other subgenres using special instrument controllers mimicking lead and bass guitar, keyboard, drums, and vocals. Rock Band 3 expands upon previous games by including three-part vocal harmonies — previously used in The Beatles: Rock Band and Green Day: Rock Band — plus support for MIDI-compatible keyboards, electronic drumkits, and even use of a real guitar in "Pro" mode.

<i>Rock Band 4</i> 2015 music video game

Rock Band 4 is a 2015 rhythm game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published by Mad Catz, who also developed new instrument controllers for the game, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 6, 2015. Performance Designed Products (PDP) took over manufacturing of instrument controllers and publishing of the game by 2016. It is the fourth main installment and the ninth console release in the Rock Band series.

Fortnite is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in six distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play battle royale game in which up to 100 players fight to be the last person standing; Fortnite: Save the World, a cooperative hybrid tower defense-shooter and survival game in which up to four players fight off zombie-like creatures and defend objects with traps and fortifications they can build; and Fortnite Creative, in which players are given complete freedom to create worlds and battle arenas, Lego Fortnite, an open world survival game, Rocket Racing, a racing game, and Fortnite Festival, a rhythm game.

Fuser is a rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by NCSoft. It was released on November 10, 2020 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Fuser allows players to create DJ mixes from a number of licensed musical tracks, awarding the player for synchronized changes of tracks. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes as well as the means to share remixes with other users. Following the acquisition of Harmonix by Epic Games in 2021, Harmonix shuttered the multiplayer servers in December 2022 and removed the game and additional content from sale, while leaving the single player components playable.

The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. On January 25, 2024, the last downloadable songs were released for Rock Band 4, as Harmonix will focus on development for Fortnite Festival.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 LeBlanc, Wesley. "Fortnite Festival Season 1 Is Live, Epic Confirms Rock Band Controller Support Coming". Game Informer. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bailey, Dustin (December 9, 2023). "Fortnite Festival looks like the future for the Rock Band devs, and that might not be a bad thing". gamesradar. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Taylor, Mollie (December 18, 2023). "What the hell Harmonix, you definitely could have done something better than Fortnite Festival". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reilly, Luke (December 15, 2023). "Fortnite Festival Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Lyles, Taylor (April 23, 2024). "Fortnite Festival Finally Adds Support for Rock Band 4 and PDP Riffmaster Guitar Controllers". IGN. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Williams, Hayley (May 24, 2024). "Fortnite Festival Update Lets You Shred Using A Keyboard And Mouse". GameSpot . Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Colantonio, Giovanni (December 9, 2023). "Fortnite Festival isn't the Rock Band comeback I hoped for". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  8. ↑ Claudino, Ashely (May 1, 2024). "Fortnite: How to Jam at Restored Reels & Slumberyard". Game Rant. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  9. ↑ Dev, Siddhanth (December 24, 2023). "10 Best Songs In Fortnite Festival". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 Gutierrez, Luis Joshua (May 17, 2024). "Fortnite Festival Just Did Something It's Never Done Before". GameSpot . Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ Webster, Andrew (December 9, 2023). "Fortnite Festival is Rock Band without the plastic instruments". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Fortnite Festival songs: set list and line-up revealed". Yahoo News. April 29, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Fortnite Coachella's Coming, But With None Of The Sunburn Or Drugs". Kotaku. April 14, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Fortnite Festival Is Getting An Unexpected Crossover". GameSpot. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  15. 1 2 Hester, Blake (December 26, 2023). "The Head Of Harmonix Talks About The Future Of Fortnite, The Metaverse, And Music". Game Informer . Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  16. ↑ Stephan, Katcy (December 11, 2023). "Eminem, LEGO and a Big Bang: How Fortnite Ushered in a New Era With an Epic Live Event". Variety. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  17. ↑ Lyles, Taylor (January 31, 2024). "PDP's New Wireless Guitar Controller Works With Rock Band 4 and, Eventually, Fortnite Festival". IGN . Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
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