CRKD has given the first look at its new Fortnite Festival guitar controller, which offers a huge comeback opportunity for Guitar Hero’s original hardware team.
CRKD came out from nowhere back in 2023 and almost immediately launched the Nitro Deck, one of the most popular Nintendo Switch controllers made to date.
They took feedback from the first version and created the Nitro Deck+, and even branched off into other controllers like the rectangular Neo S and the keychain-sized ATOM.
During The Game Awards on Thursday, December 12, CRKD announced their next product – a plastic guitar controller – but there’s something special about the company that sets it apart from the rest.
CRKD gives first look at new guitar controller
“CRKD Guitar coming 2025,” the post reads above an accompanying video. In the clip, competitive Fortnite Festival champion ‘aWiseMoose’ is holding one of the original Guitar Hero plastic guitars in his hands.
“Red Octane made this guitar like 17 years ago, can somebody please make a new one?” he asked before the clip began showing off CRKD’s upcoming controller.
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Guitar Hero’s original hardware team leads CRKD development
This guitar controller being special isn’t just because CRKD has made a name for itself as a company that makes high-quality controllers.
In a blog post on its website, CRKD revealed that much of the team behind its product development was a part of Red Octane’s hardware team that helped create the ever-so-popular Guitar Hero guitars.
“While CRKD is not Red Octane, the majority of the hardware team remains as the core product development team at CRKD, with a community focus on bringing premium, innovative, collectible gaming gear to fans around the world,” it reads.
They went on to explain that projects like Clone Hero, Yarg, and the popular Fortnite Festival gave them the “nudge” they needed to tackle the development of a new plastic guitar controller.
As for when it’ll release, we’ll have to wait to see – all CRKD has announced so far is that it’s coming sometime in 2025 – but fans are excited to see the team behind Guitar Hero focusing on plastic guitars yet again.