News Harmonix has officially stopped development on Rock Band 4 DLC (the online servers will remain up for the foreseeable future)

[Krvavi Abadas]

Hi Friends,

After over 8 years of weekly Rock Band 4 DLC releases, we’re here to let you know that January 25 will be the last DLC release of the RB4 era. All other live services will continue as normal, including Rivals seasons, online play, and everything else.

Working in support of the Rock Band community has been a high point in my professional life - wading through the thousands of song requests we get, working through what songs to pursue and release, it’s all hard work but also really satisfying.

Looking ahead, the Harmonix team has been hard at work over the last two years to develop Fortnite Festival, which brings rhythm action gaming (and more) to the Fortnite ecosystem. It’s free to play, we have a rotating selection of songs that you can play (for free) anytime. If you are a fan of the rhythm game category, Fortnite Festival is the place to be; and with support for RB4 instruments coming, this is not the time to hang up your guitars just yet….

Long Live Rock and Roll,

Daniel

as noted, the creation of Fortnite Festival (which was made as a result of Epic buying Harmonix back in 2021) made this news pretty much inevitable. as it’s clearly designed to be a full on successor to the series.

still. Rock Band 4 managed to have an incredibly long support cycle regardless. eight years worth of updates is something very few games have managed to achieve.

the final track they’re releasing for the game is the fairly appropriate “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John, continuing the trend of them ending off each game with an emotional track. (the gap between Rock Band 3’s last dlc and the eventual reveal of 4 began with Don Mclean’s “American Pie”)

 

[xghost777]

End to an amazing run. Wish it was easy to buy more instruments as I’m afraid to play the few I have left.

Doesn’t seem likely, but I hope Rock Band comes back one day.

 

[EvilChameleon]

They finally decided their future lies beyond the yellow brick road.
And with Fortnite.

 

[JorgenRaft]

Man, who had Fortnite continuing the legacy of Guitar Hero and Rock Band on their bingo card?

 

[Pokemaniac]

Unfortunately this probably means the window has closed for a real Rock Band game getting released on Switch.

 

[Hailinel]

Unfortunately this probably means the window has closed for a real Rock Band game getting released on Switch.

I don't think that was ever in the cards. The market for a band's worth of plastic instruments cratered a long time ago.

 

[Pokemaniac]

I don't think that was ever in the cards. The market for a band's worth of plastic instruments cratered a long time ago.

They were still releasing expansions for Rock Band 4 within months of the Switch launch. They had plenty of opportunity to do it, but chose to port their failed Apple TV game instead.

 

[Hailinel]

They were still releasing expansions for Rock Band 4 within months of the Switch launch. They had plenty of opportunity to do it, but chose to port their failed Apple TV game instead.

Probably because that game doesn't require Switch owners to buy huge accessory controllers.

 

[EvilChameleon]

Bringing my drum kit with me to play Rock Band 4 in handheld mode on the bus, AMA.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Probably because that game doesn't require Switch owners to buy huge accessory controllers.

One of those games did well enough to keep being supported until this year, and it sure wasn't Super Beat Sports.

 

[Hailinel]

One of those games did well enough to keep being supported until this year, and it sure wasn't Super Beat Sports.

Again.

Plastic. Instruments.

 

[Bomber Pepe]

Some day I may take out a small loan so I can buy the instruments and play again.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Again.

Plastic. Instruments.

Yet that somehow didn't stop them from releasing on PS and Xbox ~1.5 years before the Switch launch.

Also it's not like there haven't been handheld versions of Rock Band before. An instrument optional version of the game (which is incidentally how the Fortnite mode works, they're making new plastic guitars for it) would certainly be within their capabilities.

 

[Rooster]

My friends and I dig out Rock Band about once every 3 years and have a great time. Quite the DLC run this series had. Especially since we never got RB4 so everything released after 3 was pretty much wasted on us, including when they finally added moar Muse.

But hey we had Hysteria down lol

I guess the future now lies with the rumblings about bringing Guitar Hero back after the buyout. Which is just as well considering the only instrument controller I currently know the whereabouts of is the GH2 guitar. That'll still be compatible, right? Lol

 

[Linkstrikesback]

Probably because that game doesn't require Switch owners to buy huge accessory controllers.

Again.

Plastic. Instruments.

I don't think requiring a large accessory for play is as much a barrier to switch owners as you're thinking.

 

[Hailinel]

I don't think requiring a large accessory for play is as much a barrier to switch owners as you're thinking.

There's a world of difference between the RingCon and a full Rock Band instrument set. Such as good luck getting retailers to stock them these days after the market for them became oversaturated and collapsed.