Bandcamp, best known as an online music distributor and lorded over as a hub for independent artists and labels, announced on Wednesday that they would be joining Epic Games in a blog post written by CEO Ethan Diamond. The price Epic Games paid for Bandcamp is currently unknown.
The blog post states that while they will be acquired by the creators of Fortnite, they will continue to operate ‘as a standalone marketplace and music community’, and artists will still have the ‘same control’ over how they offer their music.
However, the decision for the gaming company to purchase the music distributor has befuddled many, with most assuming the worst.
Artists, listeners, and commentators alike all had something to say, that something in particular ultimately being negative and skeptical. It makes sense, considering most regular people are feeling somewhat suspect about the ongoing acquisitions happening in the games industry.
There’s this expectation that the video games industry is sacred, but the reality is that it’s in the business of making money, as are most industries. Considering Epic Games has been infusing music into Fortnite for quite a while now, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they were considering using this acquisition to further the potential of a ‘metaverse’-type project.
All I can say? Take the piss, mate.
This article is reposted from Kotaku Australia. Read the original article.