Epic Games, creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, is acquiring Bandcamp, an online creator-friendly music platform founded in 2008. The latest acquisition by the game-oriented company is an addition to several previous purchases the company has made.But what does Epic Games' acquisition of Bandcamp really mean to its existing users? Let us fill you in.

Epic Games Acquires Bandcamp

Epic Games, the makers of the popular free-to-play battle royale game Fortnite, has announced plans to acquire Bandcamp.

The acquisition will help Bandcamp's platform in two ways. First, it will help the platform expand internationally and, secondly, aid Bandcamp's development to better its current offerings and introduce newer features.

According to Epic Games' blog post:

"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."

Since its inception, the company has paid artists close to $1 billion. Key details of the deal are undisclosed, including the acquisition price and when the two are expected to wrap it up.

What Epic Games' Acquisition of Bandcamp Means

Acquisition often goes hand in hand with changes. But with Epic Games and Bandcamp, it's business as usual moving forward. As confirmed in Bandcamp's blog post:

"The products and services you depend on aren’t going anywhere, we’ll continue to build Bandcamp around our artists-first revenue model."

Bandcamp will continue to operate as a standalone marketplace and music community, and Ethan Diamond, the company's co-founder, will stay at the helm.

Artists will enjoy their share of revenue as is, retain control on how they offer their music, and everything else will stay the same, including Bandcamp Fridays.

Epic Games Continues Its Acquisition Spree

Bandcamp is yet another creator-friendly platform acquired by Epic Games following its purchase of 3D asset platform Sketchfab in July 2021 and ArtStation, a game-art portfolio site in May 2021. Prior to that, Epic Games acquired RAD Tools and Cubic Motions, both creativity-focused companies.

The latest acquisition doesn't deviate from the company's appetite for creator-friendly companies. According to Epic Games, "fair and open platforms" are critical for the future of the so-called creator economy.