Fortnite Festival was released last week and brought the classic Guitar Hero/Rock Band gameplay to Fortnite as one of three new permanent modes released in Chapter 5. In addition to Fortnite Festival, Epic Games has released a Minecraft-style Lego Fortnite mode, as well as Rocket Racing which was developed by Rocket League developers Psyonix. Chapter 5 has also seen an overhaul of the traditional Fortnite gameplay with new movement mechanics and additions such as weapon mods, changing the way the game is played.
PDP, a company known for making officially licensed controllers and headsets posted an image on X of a guitar silhouette with the caption “Rock On this January.” This looks to be related to the recently released Fortnite Festival mode, a rhythm-based mode created by the Guitar Hero and Rock Band developers Harmonix, who were acquired by Epic Games in 2021.
Currently, there is no official instrument support for Fortnite Festival, although Epic Games did note it is a top priority and will be implemented in 2024. It is unclear whether PDP is simply looking to capitalize on the new mode with a brand-new product or whether it has been contracted by Epic Games to be the manufacturer of its instruments.
Regardless of any possible partnership, this will be one of the first times a new instrument has been manufactured for rhythm games in multiple years. If you want to play Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Clone Hero, or any other rhythm game, you will have to resort to sites such as Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Gumtree, or Craigslist to find people selling their old instruments.
However, despite no official instrument support for Fortnite Festival right now, you can still use your old Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars with a little bit of know-how. Popular Guitar Hero streamer Jason Paradise has been showcasing the Fortnite Festival mode while using his custom-made instrument by utilizing a program called JoyToKey. This makes the game see the button inputs from the guitar as being keys on a keyboard. You can check out his full tutorial below if you still have an old instrument gathering dust in the corner of your room like I do.
As instrument support isn’t native, there is no strumming mechanic and instead, the buttons need to be tapped, but this is as close as you can get right now to an authentic experience until native support is added next year.
Fortnite Festival has become an instant hit with players, with older gamers experiencing nostalgia by playing a new Guitar Hero/Rock Band mode, and younger gamers are getting a chance to experience the hype that swept the gaming world in the late 2000s.
Currently, songs cycle in and out of the playlist each day, with more expected to be added in future updates. Artists currently included in Fortnite Festival include The Weeknd, Fall Out Boy, Lady Gaga, Queen of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, and The Killers.
For more Insider Gaming, check out the news that Microsoft could offer a free version of Xbox Game Pass.
