Native Instruments has announced that in order to utilize its development resources in the best interest of its wider userbase, it has decided to discontinue the Kore product range.
As an immediate consequence, Kore 2 and all Kore-based instruments and effects will no longer be offered for sale. The Kore Player will also be no longer available for download.
The Kore 2 software will be supported through further maintenance updates for the time being. Two updates that will optimize the compatibility with current setups are currently in preparation: The first update will integrate the latest engine versions of Absynth 5, FM8, Guitar Rig 4, Massive, Kontakt 4 and Reaktor 5, and is scheduled for the third quarter of this year; a further update will provide 64-bit plugin versions for Windows and Mac OS X, and is scheduled for the fourth quarter.
Technical support for Kore will also continue to be available.
Future versions of the Komplete bundle and of individual NI instruments might no longer be fully compatible with Kore, and will not include special preset versions for its sound browser.
Development resources will be refocused from Kore to Maschine and its popular instrument hosting features. Maschine will be enhanced with specific preset management and parameter mapping features for Komplete and individual NI instruments in the upcoming free 1.7 update, and will be further expanded in its role as the central NI instruments host in the future.
Owners of the full versions of Kore 1 or Kore 2 (excluding software-only versions) who are interested in Maschine can purchase a special crossgrade price of $449 / €399 until the end of the year.