Fortnite developer Epic Games announced today the acquisition of Bandcamp–an internet music company.
Joint press releases from both companies today confirmed that Bandcamp would join Epic Games. The two share common goals, making the deal much more appealing. Epic states that “Bandcamp will play an important role in Epic’s vision to build out a creator marketplace ecosystem for content, technology, games, art, music and more.” It’s merely the latest move in a series of such moves for the Fortnite developers, who continue expanding its presence.
What is Bandcamp? Epic Acquires Internet Music Company
Bandcamp is joining Epic Games! Read more here: https://t.co/dvLEhURZYG pic.twitter.com/4t1MRvugmG
— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) March 2, 2022
Established in September 2008, Bandcamp’s platform allowed artists and labels to sell music and merchandise at their discretion. Recognizable musicians such as Peter Gabriel, Bjork and Radiohead, amongst many others, have published their works on Bandcamp over the last three years. After running a successful platform for over a decade, Bandcamp joins Epic Games with aligned goals and endless collaborative possibilities.
Bandcamp’s co-founder and CEO – Ethan Diamond – released a press statement regarding the acquisition:
“Since our founding in 2008, we’ve been motivated by the pursuit of our mission, which is to help spread the healing power of music by building a community where artists thrive through the direct support of their fans. That simple idea has worked well, with payments to artists and labels closing in on $1 billion USD. “In Epic, we’ve found a partner who believes as deeply as we do that the future of music, and art itself, depends on the creation of equitable and inclusive communities like the one our fans and artists have helped to build. We’re excited to work alongside the Epic team to accelerate the realization of our mission and pursue our shared goal of empowering more creators in a fair and open way.”
According to Bandcamp’s press release, the platform will operate as usual, but under Epic’s wing. The end goal is to build out an ecosystem beyond just video games.
Epic’s Comment on the Acquisition
Welcome Bandcamp! This an amazing company with an amazing service for music lovers and musicians. The Bandcamp team has been a constant source of inspiration by helping creatives and fans connect directly. Lots of exciting possibilities for the future. https://t.co/XYF94RI2Zr
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 2, 2022
The North Carolina-based game developer released a statement welcoming Bandcamp to the team:
“Bandcamp has built an incredible community and business where up and coming artists can succeed thanks to the direct support of their fans, with one of the best revenue models and terms in music. This aligns closely with Epic’s approach to supporting creators across all media and enabling them to connect directly with their fans,” said Steve Allison, Epic Games’ Vice President and General Manager.
Epic’s Quest for Dominance
It’s not the first instance of Epic Games acquiring another company; it acquired Rocket League developer Psyonix back in 2019 and Fall Guys developer Mediatonic last year.
The number of collaborations Epic and Fortnite have garnered over the last few years speaks to the game’s global reach. We’ll have to see where Bandcamp fits into the equation following Epic’s acquisition.
