Summary
Last year’s additions to theFortniteecosystem have already had a massive impact on the title and Epic’s continued success with theFortniteIP, withFortnite Festivalparticularly striking a chord with fans of Harmonix’s past rhythm games. For all intents and purposes,Fortnite Festivalis as close as players can get to a genuineRock Bandrevival set in the live-serviceFortniteuniverse. And, to further solidify that point, third-party peripheral manufacturer PDP has confirmed the upcoming launch of the Riffmaster – a wireless guitar controller set to arrive later this year for the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles compatible withRock Band 4andFortnite Festival.
But for those who were around during the initial boom and bust cycle of Harmonix and Neversoft’sRock BandandGuitar Herofranchises, the return of plastic peripherals represents a bittersweet moment. For about 5 years across the 7th and 8th hardware generations, bothRock BandandGuitar Heroeventually expanded into full-band functionality, complete with a slew of plastic peripherals that eventually clogged closets and wound up in the clearance sections of brick-and-mortar game retailers.Fortnite Festivalis a welcome addition that makes good use of Epic’s 2021 acquisition of Harmonix, but the arrival of plastic peripherals for use in the mode could very well see the past repeating itself.
Pros of the Riffmaster Controller Coming to Fortnite Festival
Considering that even secondhandRock BandandGuitar Herocontrollerscompatible with modern hardware are fetching what could be considered insane prices on the grey market, the arrival of the Riffmaster to the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles is a massive boon for players that still have a copy ofRock Band 4and a vast library of songs. Not only is PDP’s new plastic guitar controller compatible withFortnite Festival, but it will also work with the console-appropriate version ofRock Band 4right out the box. And, if the peripheral is successful, there’s every possibility that PDP could expand into drums and microphones for the fullRock Bandexperience.
There are two major upsides to the return of plastic peripherals for use inFortnite Festival. The most obvious benefit is that the controller is simply more intuitive to use than a standard one, feeling natural and increasing immersion for fans of Epic’s rythym game. The other possibility is that the Riffmaster’s success could eventually give Epic reason to allow Harmonix to reboot theRock Bandfranchise in earnest, which would be a welcome surprise for the players who still have access to the thousands of DLC tracks released throughout the years.
Cons of the Riffmaster Controller Coming to Fortnite Festival
While there’s no doubt that playingFortnite Festivalwith the Riffmaster controller will be like a stroll down memory lane for anyone who grew up during the initialGuitar HeroandRock Bandcraze, the fact remains that it’s been less than a decade since the fad died out in spectacular fashion. The last mainline numberedentry in theRock Bandseries,Rock Band 4, was released in October 2015, and both it andGuitar Heroare now relics of gaming’s past, both franchises effectively dead. One of the primary reasons for both series' demise rests on the plastic peripherals themselves, which makes their return potentially perilous for the continued growth ofFortnite Festival.
The two major issues that surround the use of plastic peripherals in music games (and the two main reasons for the eventual waning of their relevance) are cost and physical space. The MSRP of a fullRock Bandset grew from its initial $169.99 to $249.99 in just a few short years, presenting a prohibitive barrier to entry for many players.The Riffmaster, a single wireless Bluetooth guitar controller, has an MSRP of $129.99. While the peripheral is arguably worth the price for fans of rhythm games who no longer have controllers compatible with modern hardware, the controller’s cost and size could end up being a case of history repeating itself.
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