Rock Band 4 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has been confirmed by developer Harmonix Music Systems, due for release later this year.
“When we stopped developing Rock Band 3 [in 2010], clearly the market needed a break,” Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Harmonix, told IGN. “But since then we’ve been paying close attention to what our community has been saying about it. There’s been this steadily growing crescendo of fans saying, ‘Hey Harmonix, what the hell? It’s time! Why haven’t you announced a new Rock Band? We’re ready for it!’”
Harmonix says that it is taking the game back to basics, and is cutting the fat of multiple releases. Instead, Rock Band 4 will serve as a central hub for additional DLC packs; Harmonix has confirmed that purchased songs from previous Rock Band games will be transferable to the new release, specific to the player’s Xbox or PSN account, and that it is looking into a way to make old instruments compatible with the new game.
Regarding Harmonix’s new model, Rigopulos said, “Going forward, our goal is to view [Rock Band 4] as more of a live service where we can gradually and incrementally append new functionality to the core experience rather than having $60 annual title updates. You shouldn’t expect a Rock Band 5 in 2016.”
Harmonix has also announced a series of exclusive Rock Band instruments, now available for pre-order.
Source: IGN
