The last time we had a new plastic instrument hit the Rock Band scene, it was the Fender Jaguar controller that PDP launched alongside Rock Band Rivals in late 2016. With Harmonix's Fortnite Festival now on the music gaming scene, a new contender is? headed toward the stage in the wireless Riffmaster from PDP.

PDP announced its Riffmaster guitar controller today. It looks to be a generational leap for video game guitars (that's a weird sentence to write). No release date has been announced, but it's intended for both Rock Band and Fornite Festival through instrument support that's coming sometime this year.

The Riffmaster is wireless and will have two versions, each compatible with either the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Just like the Jaguar, it comes with a foldable neck for easy travel and storage. The guitar's faceplate/pickguard is removable and replaceable which opens up the option for custom designs,? and there are your obvious strum and whammy bars built-in too.

When I say the Riffmaster looks to be a "generational leap," I mean it. The guitar controller incorporates audio controls right on the face of the instrument for quick in-game access. A 3.5mm audio jack is smartly introduced to plug wired headphones directly in. Perhaps most conveniently, and long overdue is the inclusion of an analog joystick on the back of the controller's neck, so you do?n't have to deal with awkward D-pad menu navigation any longer.

Interestingly, the PDP Riffmaster isn't the first time that the Riffmaster moniker and design have been used in video games. In 2007, right around the time the first Rock Band launched, ArtGuitar.com released the AG Riffmaster. It was a real Peavey Riffmaster guitar-modified Guitar Hero controller modified to work alongside the music games on PlayStation 2. The AG Riffmaster felt great according to Wired, but with a $400 price poin??t at the time, it?????????????????????????? ended up just being a niche collectible.

How much is the Riffmaster guitar and when will it be released?

The PDP Riffmaster doesn't have a price point or release date just yet. However, the manufacturer is currently holding a promotion to win a Riffmaster with w??inners set to be selected on March 1. If we take that date and run with it, we may be seeing o??ur new shredding accessories released shortly thereafter sometime in the spring.

If you're feeling the urge to sell out a video game music venue and need a new instrument, check out our list of all compatible Rock Band 4 instruments. There should be plenty of options availabl??e on the internet to tide you over until the Riffmaster's release.

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It's the end of an era. A really, really impressive era. After over eight years of continual releases, Harmonix announced that the final DLC for Rock Band 4 will be dropped next week.

Harmonix released a blog post confirming news that January 25 will see the last batch of DLC released for the 2015 rhythm title. The announcement came as a surprise to fans of the series, an??d it's sure to get the remaining dedicated players a bit emotional.

Saying that Rock Band 4's DLC journey began in 2015 isn't quite accurate, though. It really started in 2007 following the release of the original Rock Band.

One of the beautiful things about the Rock Band series is that fans who followed Harmonix across Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Rock Band 3, and Rock Band 4 could bring their song libraries with them. This means that nearly every song from each game's original track list, the vast majority of DLC purchased across those titles, as well as content from spin-off titles like Lego Rock Band and Green Day: Rock Band, could be ported into Rock Band 4.

It was a feature that see??med impossible when you think about having to deal with all of those music licenses. Harmonix pulled it off though, enabling those who sought to purchase everything available to build music libraries of well over 3,000 tracks.

As for the final DLC songs, the developer states it "will feature some tear jerkers that sum up our feelings about this moment." Ja?nuary 18 will include Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and The Troggs' "Our Love Will Still Be T?here". What's to come for the following week's final DLC drop is to be announced.

Harmonix did confirm that this isn't the end of Rock Band 4 entirely. While DLC will cease to release, the game will still support online play, ongoin??g Rival seasons, and "everything else."

What's next for Harmonix?

What's next for the rhythmic developer appears to be Fortnite Festival for the foreseeable future. Harmonix confirmed that the Fortnite-based music title has been the team's main focus over the last couple of years. The free-to-play mode will continue to get a rotating selection of free songs to play. Epic Games recently confirmed that adding instrument controller support is "a priori????ty for the team and currently under development."

Following the very successful launch of Rock Band in 2007, each subsequent iteration of the core series saw a significant decline in sales. Co-publisher of Rock Band 4, Mad Catz, considered Rock Band 4 sales to be "incredibly disappointing". The company filed for bankruptcy in March of 2017.

With the lackluster sales performance of Rock Band 4, it's unknown whether Harmonix's parent company Epic Games will see any value in a possible Rock Band 5. It would be tragic if this was the end of the iconic rhythm series, as longtime fans like myself know that Fortnite Festival just isn't quite the same.

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We got the dreamers disease

To say Rock Band revolutionized the admittedly short-lived plastic instrument phenomenon would be an understatement. This is a series that spawned not only a knockoff series from its biggest competitor but three direct sequels, multiple band-specific spinoffs (including the elusive Beatles license), and even a?? friggin' LEGO collab -- this thing had a full-blown zeitgeist. Like many niche interests, the genre crashed and burned, but a stalwart few still break out the cheap guitars and flimsy drum kits for some fake rock 'n roll on a drunken Tuesday night.

I'm amongst those ranks.

Whether or not you ever got into the series, it?'s proven to really have some legs. During its 13-year run, the series has featured some 2,800 songs, spanning every genre from the titular rock to rap, to country, and even parody tracks from South Park and Steven Colbert. Even to this day, the devs are still releasing DLC every Thursday to keep the series fresh.

It's hard to complain about what the devs have done...but complaining is my business, and business is good. And gosh darn it, it's time to put "You Get What You Give" in Rock Band.

First hitting the scene in late 1998, New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" is considered by many to be one? of the greatest singles of the late-'90s alt-rock scene. Band frontman Gregg Alexander disbanded the group sho?rtly after the single's release, pretty much damning New Radicals to the dreaded one-hit-wonder status.

What could have been a cultural relic has endured over the years, most recently resurfacing in political appearances by Vice President Kamala Harris' husband. Its overall positive message about hard work and perseverance is also a favorite of the Biden family, resulting in the band briefly reuniting? to perform the hit for t?he presidential inauguration.

Despite its longevity and renewed relevance, the song is still not in Rock Band, neither on any of the games' multiple on-disc setlists nor as part of the series' expansive DLC. For comparison's sake, over the years, Rock Band has featured:

• Other one-hit wonders from the era, such as "Closing Time," "Tubthumping," "Steal My Sunshine," and "Flagpole Sitta"
• 11 Nickelback songs (WHY?)
• 15 Avenged Sevenfold tracks

I could go on, but the fact that there are 11 songs from one of the most universally-mocked (yet seemingly contradictorily also one of the be??st-selling) bands in pop culture is both frustrating and disappointing. "This Means War," Harmonix. If this is "How You Remind Me" of how one of the best songs from the '90s is absent from your library, it's time to "Burn It to the Ground." If not "This Afternoon," then "Someday." "Never Again." "Photograph."

I've been patiently waiting for over 13 years now, Harmonix. It's time to release "You Get What You Give" for Rock Band. And if Gregg says no -- which i??s the sort of thing he'd do -- tell him Joe Biden's on my side.

The post It’s been 13 years, Harmonix, put ‘You Get What You Give’ in Rock Band appeared first on Destructoid.

For Those About to Rock

When you consider backward compatibility, a lot of times it's just nice to know the option is there. Like "I know I'm probably never playing the Deadliest Warrior&nb?sp;fighting game a??gain but at least I know I can if I want to." 

Rock Band is kind of different. A lot of p?eople have generations full of paid-for songs and closets full of plastic peripherals. It's the sort of game you definitely want to bring with you into the next generation because, if you couldn't, it's good enough to keep the old systems hooked up to keep playing.

The good news is that won't be necessary. Harmonix has published a post that explains Rock Band 4 is pretty much completely compatible with PS5 and Xbox Series X. Hardware, DLC, saves -- all of it. There's a weird limitation where PS5 detects the DualSense's controller microphone as the default mic; to combat that, you'll need to change your PS5 settings at the system level before using a US?B mic.

Otherwise, Harmonix says that everything should work on next-gen consoles. If it ever worked with Rock Band 4 (including electronic drum kits and legacy wireless adapters), it'll still work on PS5 and Xbox Series X. There's even a note about how the DLC transfer stuff is much cleaner this time. It was, infamously, a trainwreck redownloading all your old DLC for use in Rock Band 4.

Speaking of old DLC, let's wrap this up with a PSA. The license to export Rock Band 3's songs into Rock Band 4 will expire on December 1. So, the next month-and-a-half serve as last call to export those --but you need the Rock Band 3 disc. After that,? they're lost to Father Time (unless you feel like hooking up your old console just to play that game).

Rock Band 4 and Next-Gen Consoles [Harmonix]

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27 at launch, more coming later

Rock Band 4?? released three years ago as of October 6, and Harmonix is celebrating in style by adding some new style.

Today, there's an update that introduces track skins -- a little quality of life thing that switches up the visuals while you stare at the continuous onslaught of notes. Previously, Rock Band 4 had a black(ish) note highway with some light design work. Now, players will be able to pick from a bunch of different ?options to semi-customize the look of their track. This GIF shows what some of them look like:

Harmonix says that 27 tracks skins will be available today, but more will be released in the future. The update is scheduled to go live at 12pm Paci?fic. Here's the full list of changes with today's three-year anniversary patch:

• Selectable Track Skins -- Customize ??your note highway with new (and old!) visuals to spice up your play sessions 
• Scoring issues for vocalists fixed -- Overdrive earning fixed, Multiplier building fixed, Final phrase counting for 0 points fixed
• Challenge Songs preference in Green Rooms now forces song selection to Challenge songs only 
• Reorganized Main Menu 
• More background music added to game menus 
• Song Length now visible in song library 
• Drummer issues fixed -- Snare/crash combo no longer breaks combo for Lefty Pro Drums, Drum track rails now glow during drum solos 
• Game performance improved -- Crashes fixed, Menus and other selections react faster

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It's tricky to license a rhyme

For more than a decade, Harmonix has structured licensing agreements for thousands of songs for use in Rock Band. There was a three-year stretch beginning in 2010 where the process was streamlined (or at least Harmonix was relieved of most of the burden). Rock Band Network allowed artists to upload and author their own songs through the Xbox 360's XNA Creator Club program. These tracks didn't have the spotlight that Rock Band's weekly D??LC had, but it was a way to fill out the series' library with some deep?? cuts that didn't necessarily have mass appeal.

RBN kind of disappeared with the emergence of current-gen consoles. Harmonix shut the program down in 2014. When Rock Band 4 released, users couldn't import their previously-purchased? RBN tracks. They were casualties of the licensing agreements -- the sort of thing that's bound to eventually happen when dealing with digital rights across several video games, consoles, music labels, and years.

Harmonix plans to revisit some of RBN's most popular tracks. In the coming months, Harmonix will re-release a selection of RBN's best-selling and most well-received songs as new DLC. This will be the only way those tracks are playable on Rock Band 4. However, they'll need to be repu?r?chased by anyone who previously owned them.

A Harmonix representative confirmed the news and elaborated upon the process by saying "We're currently in the process of bringing some of our favorite RBN tracks to Rock Band 4 as DLC. There was a ton of great content submitted to RBN and, even though we knew that we wouldn't be able to support entitlements, we always wanted to find a way to bring these songs over to Rock Band 4. As we release these songs, we're doing full QA passes to make sure that authoring, mixes and gameplay are up to today's standards. You can expect the first of these songs to be released as part of Rivals Season 6 with more to come ??alongside regular DLC over the course of the ye??ar."

Despite these songs originally debuting as part of RBN, this isn't any sort of revival of RBN. There is no current program for musicians to self-author and sell their tracks on Rock Band. This is simply Harmonix reselling what once sold well. The best of RBN will soon be for sale in Rock Band 4; R?BN itself is just as dead as it was five years ago.

The post Harmonix is bringing back some of Rock Band Network’s most popular tracks appeared first on Destructoid.

This sounds like rock and or roll

Ever since Rock Band's comeback tour began in late 2015, Harmonix has done a commendable job of falling back into the routine of?? releasing weekly DLC. This post-launch support was a defining characteristic of the first games in the series, as players had new tracks to lo??ok forward to (and to sometimes be disappointed by) every week.

That pattern is somewhat broken this week because Harmonix is releasing only one new DLC song. But it's a hell of a long one. Coming to Rock Band th??is Thursday is "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly, a 17?-minute '60s metal epic.

Another trend that's breaking this week is the pricing model. Due to its considerable length, Harmonix is charging $3 for this track instead of the customary $2. The developer cites the fact that this is more than four times the length of the average Rock Band song as the reason for the price bump.

Interestingly enough, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" won't assume the mantle as the longest track in the Rock Band catalog. That honor goes to the seven-part "2112" by Rush which clocks in at 20:34. It's pr??obably not getting dethroned anytime soon.

And, because it's basically obligatory, here's your Simpsons clip:

DLC Discussion: One Song [Harmonix]

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You'll hear the rumble

With how popular Ghost became to the Metal scene in such a short span, its hard to imagine they weren't already featured in Rock Band 4. I mean, we've got heavier acts like Opeth and Nevermore, but not Ghost? That blasphemy is about to be rectified this Thursday with the re??lease of Ghost's classic "Cirice" into the?? game.

Along with that comes Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness" to the Rock Band 4 store. That song was featured in Rock Band 2, but this is mostly for people who didn't pay to transfer the song into the latest entry (which you can no longer do, by the way). While that song is a hit in its own right, it has?? nothi??ng on Ghost.

Each track is available for $1.99, which still surprises the hell out of me. Considering Rock Band hasn't been doing well, you'd think Harmonix would want to lower the price on their DLC to get more people interested. Even so, if you have any interest in Metal and still actively play Rock Band, do yourself a favor ?and download "Cirice". Its one of the band's best and has a totally awesome music video.

DLC Week of 7/06: Disturbed and Ghost! [Harmonix]

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Let me hear the party say

Harmonix never comes whack on an old-school track. This Thursday, Montell Jordan's '95 banger "This Is How We Do It" hits Rock Band 4 as DLC. Like all add-on tracks, it's priced at $2. It's something of an inverse of the first verse lyric; here you have to pay before you get your groove on. Then you're?? clear to reach for your 40 and turn it up.

This announcement serves as?? a good enough reason to pay tribute to "This Is How We Do It," a song that has aged rem?arkably well in its 22 years. It's unmistakably a party track, and an extremely feel-good one at that. But it's also a responsible track with Jordan rapping the likes of "designated driver take the keys to my truck." That's so good.

It's not super surprising to learn that Jordan became a pastor in 2010. Hip hop artist to ministry isn't exactly a natura?l transition, but Jordan maybe seemed like a more likely prospect to pull it off; his lyrics notably lacked the edge that define?d a lot of mid-'90s rap. He was content to sing about good times and pursuits of love (and sex).

The culmination of all of this happened early, as "This Is How We Do It" was Jordan's debut single. A party anthem for the ages, its call and response choruses encouraging emphatic shouting of the song's title to punctuate every line. I don't care if you buy this in Rock Band. I just want you to play the video above, maybe sing along while thinking "??Awww, hell yeah!" and have your day get just a little bit better.

New Songs Annou?nced for Rock Band 4, Rock Band?? VR, and SingSpace [Harmonix]

The post Tip up your cup and throw your hands up, ‘This Is How We Do It’ is coming to Rock Band appeared first on Destructoid.

Announced at Fanfest 2017

In case you haven't noticed, in-house development studio bands have been a popular practice as of late. Square Enix has the rock group The Primals, and CCP, developer of EVE Online, has the slightly less conventional group "Permaband??."

While debuting their new song at EVE Fanfest's opening ceremony, it was revealed that the group will officially be making the cross over to Rock Band 4. Since they've covered everything from ?dance, to rock, to rap, they should be a great fit for the game in terms of song variety.

Three songs are ?confirmed "this summer," and they'll be free.

The post Permaband, CCP’s over-the-top in-house music group, is heading to Rock Band 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

I 'Trust' the 'Dead Memories' won't lead me to 'The Edge of Glory'

Have you forgotten about the new year yet? Well, Harmonix certainly hasn't as they've announced a slew of downloadable songs to kick off 2017. Along with some new hits come a few "classic" songs from previous games. While that is super neat, I'm a little confused as to where this leaves people who imported the previous games into Rock Band 4. Either way, at least late adopters can finally play s??ome of the more popu??lar songs.

While the initial batch of songs isn't much to write home about (Blue Öyster Cult aside), Harmonix has promised that more returning cuts will be headed in the coming months. I guess when you've run out of new songs to license, you just go ahead and re-license older hits. Ah well, some of the DLC this month is worth a damn, which is surprising enough.

• The All-American Rejects – “Swing, Swing” (From Lego Rock Band)
• Avenged Sevenfold – “The Stage” (Included in the 'More Metal' Pack 01)
• Blue Öyster Cult – “(Don't Fear) The Reaper” (From Rock Band 1)
• Fun. - “Some Nights”
• Kansas – “Carry On Wayward Son” (From Rock Band 2)
• Lady Gaga - “Applause”
• Lady Gaga - “A-YO”
• Lady Gaga - “The Edge of Glory”
• Megadeth - “Trust” (Included in the 'More Metal' Pack 01)
• OMI – “Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)”
• Slipknot – “Dead Memories” (Included in the 'More Metal' Pack 01)
• Toto – “Hold the Line”

As I listed above, three songs will be included in the "More Metal" Pack 01. While I don't care much for Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot and Megadeth are always good additions to Rock Band. I wish they went for harder songs??, but I'll take wha?t I can get.

Happy New Year! Rock Band DLC Announced for January [Harmonix Blog]

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What the hell?

Do you not like my girlfriend? Do you think I need a new one? Well, for your information prospective reader, I don't even have a girlfriend. Oh, I made myself sad. Anyway, Rock Band 4 is getting a trio of songs from everyone's favorite faux-go??th rocker girl, Avril Lavigne.

Priced at $2 each or in a combo for $5.50, the pack includes her original hit, "Complicated," alo??ng with "My Happy Ending" (ha) and "What the Hell." You can even see a trailer of these songs in action, if you feel like starting your day off wrong. I know the only reason I clicked the vi??deo is to link it here.

I'm more surprised that "Complicated" even had harmonies in the vocals, or how Harmonix felt it necessary to include that feature over the keyboard from 3. Regardless, now we can be Sk8er Boi's and sing See ya la??ter Boi's...and um...you know, I surprisingly don't know any of her other songs. I wanted to make jokes, but her career is just kind of sad.

Rock Band 4 DLC Adds Three Avril Lavigne Songs [GameSpot]

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FROM DA CHANDALI-EE-EAR!

I can honestly say that it has been a long time since I've bought anything Rock Band related. The game was practically my life during college and I didn't start to wane in interest until around 2011. Rock Band 3 really did have everything I could have hoped for from the rhyt?hm gaming genre.

Then Rock Band 4 came out and removed some features. Keyboards were out and online multiplayer was long gone. Some of your previously purchased songs were MIA and all new songs would be locked to the newest version. Bummer, but at least? the latter is understandable.

If you've been clamoring for more hard rockin' hits...then I'm sorry to disappoint you. Instead of adding some Animals as Leaders, Metallica or Gojira, we're getting songs from the Billboard Top 100 and Weezer's single from the self-titled album t??hat I had no idea c??ame out this year. That is pretty neat.

The following songs will be added over the mont?h of October.

• Andy Grammer – "Honey, I'm Good."
• The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – "Closer"
• Shawn Mendes – "Treat You Better"
• Sia ft. Sean Paul – "Cheap Thrills"
• Bring Me The Horizon –"Happy Song"
• Capital Cities –"Safe and Sound"
• Eagle-Eye Cherry –"Save Tonight"
• Maroon 5 – "One More Night"
• Matchbox Twenty – "3am"
• The Neighbourhood –"Sweater Weather"
• Of Monsters And Men –"Little Talks"
• Pharrell Williams –"Happy"
• Semisonic –"Closing Time"
• Sia –"Chandelier"
• Skillet –"Feel Invincible"
• Weezer –"King of the World"

As far as I'm concerned, Shawn Mendes can go rot in a ditch. "Treat You Better" is really crappy, but then again, I'm not a teenage girl. I'm also not sure how "Closing Time" managed to dodge being in a Rock Band game all these years, but at least Harmonix has rectified that issue. Now at the end of drunken Rock Band parties, people can properly play a final song.

All of these songs are in addition to the Rivals expansion that will be releasing on the 18th. Mayb??e online multiplayer will make these songs go down easier...

Rock Band October DLC Announced, and th??e Cou??ntdown Begins! [Harmonix]

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'We got (that) wrong last year'

Rock Band developer Harmonix has two very obvious goals in mind for the release of the Rivals expansion in October. On one hand, it wants to give existing customers something new, a reason to keep playing the game. On the other hand -- and this feels markedly more important -- it wants new people to buy Rock Band 4, instruments and all.

This was something Harmonix struggled with upon Rock Band 4's initial release. There's a perception that the game bombed, and one of the leading contributors to that narrative was that everything w?as just too expensive.? For what it's worth, Harmonix refutes claims that it didn't sell well and tells Destructoid that it actually exceeded internal projections. But, the developer certainly cops to the fact that it was pricier than it would have liked.

"From my standpoint, I look at this as a thing that we got wrong last year." That's Rock Band 4 product manager Daniel Sussman, and he's talking to us about where Harmonix can make improvements. He continued, "I think our bundles were too expensive and that there were people who were priced out of the Rock Band 4 experience."

Sussman's right. Rock Band 4 launched at $250 for the "band in a box" set; it was $130 for just a guitar and the game. That's a fair amount of coin -- especially when you consider that new consoles were selling for right around $300 during t??he holiday season. Why should people drop $250 on one game?? when an extra $50 or so will get them a machine that can play many games?

Something had to give if Harmonix wanted to make any headway with that second demographic, those who never bought Rock Band 4 the first time around. Sussman says "This was an obje?ctive that we had coming in: To make sure that for?? folks who did not buy last year that there are very few reasons to not buy this if they like music and they like music games."

In short, everything gets cheaper. Come October's release of Rivals, the "band in a box" set with the expansion will run $200; the game with only a guitar is $90. Sussman mentions that he's "very happy with this," pointing to more ?software and the same amount of hardware (improved hardware at that) at a better price.

Why is everything cheaper, though? It makes sense to discount a game after it has been on shelves for a year, but it's not like it suddenly costs less to manufacture plastic peripherals. After a high-profile breakup with Mad Catz, Harmonix turned to PDP to co-publish Rock Band 4 Rivals. It seems that the consumer savings may be entirely a result of the switch in?? har??dware companies.

When asked point-blank how Harmonix is able to reship Rock Band 4 at a significantly lower price, Sussman took a glass-half-full approach and didn't explicitly throw Mad Catz under the bus. He could have, though. Instead, he focused on PDP, saying "There are a lot of ways for me to answer that question. One o??f which is that the economics work out for PDP in a way that make it possible to do this. Part of that is the efficiencies that they ?have running product from factory to retail. Part of that is the perspective they have on what acceptable margins are. Part of it is their perspective as it relates to retail negotiations and all that kind of stuff. There is a lot that factors into this price."

Late adopters don't so much need to be concerned with the hows and whys of their lower-cost Rock Band 4, just that it's a better deal for them. That's how these things generally go. You pay a price to have something immediately. In this case, it's a price that not even Harmonix was necessarily comfortable with??.

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Who's Harmonix gonna call?

Most every video game goes through some degree of turmoil en route to becoming a finished product. Creative changes, financial woes, conflict with the publisher -- these are all examples of common issues that might cause strain on the development cycle. When getting down to precious months left before Rock Band 4's release, Harmonix was put in a tough position by an un?expected source: 2016's summer blockbuster movie.

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the event. Harmonix was moving from its long-time Cambridge location to Boston's financial district. There were fewer than three months left before Rock Band 4's release, and even less time before the studio had to submit the game to Sony a??nd Microsoft for certification.?? It was one of those situations where every working hour matters tremendously.

Even though it was moving offices, Harmonix had a plan in place to minimize downtime. As Rock Band 4 product manager Daniel Sussman tells us, the idea was ?that at the end of the day on Friday, everyone would unplug all their equipment. Then, the movers would load everything up and take it to the new place. Come Monday morning, the staff would all show up to work, plug their stuff in at their new desks, and g??et right back to it. Easy peasy, hardly any time lost.

Unfortunately, that's not how it went down. As it turns out, Ghostbusters was filming in downt?own Boston that week. This meant that streets were blocked off and, most importantly to this story, the movers didn't have the parking access they needed to actually move the studio. Predictably?, the movers didn't seem to care much; they just kind of said "Eh, we can't do it."

Harmonix, however, did care. A lot. Sussman says that the team was thrown into a panic. This monkey wrench possibly threatened the on-time delivery of Rock Band 4. Maybe it's hyperbolic to assert that the loss of one day could've caused the game to delay. But, then again, maybe not. As another Harmonix representative put it "The closer you get to submission, the less gracefully you can handle any net down time." Everyone involved o??bviously agreed that time was definitely of the essence.

Desperate t??o turn the situation around, one of the studio's executives started calling people. Harmonix has a lot of contacts in entertainment; that's bound to happen when you've been working with music publishing rights for as long as it has. Through a convoluted "He knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy" chain of contacts, the request eventually ended up getting to the movie crew. Sussman points out that the crew was "very accommodating" and Harmonix got the parking permit it needed to complete an as-scheduled move.

A full year later -- and after the timely release of Rock Band 4 -- it's easy for Sussman to laugh about how it all went down. It could've easily been a very different story. Now, when Harmonix employees go to see Ghostbusters, they don't have to harbor a twinge of re??sentment towar??d the movie.

The post How the new Ghostbusters movie almost possibly delayed Ro??ck Band 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Plus a look at the new guitar

Fender is going to be the signature look of Rock Band for a long time to come. If Harmonix is still pumping out Rock Band games 10 years? from now, it'll be a Fender-styled plastic instrument hanging around your neck.

In a press release, Harmonix announced an extension of the licensing agreement between the developer and Fender. The new deal has a 10-year term through 2027. If Rock Band persists that long, Fender will have been the look of the game for two fu?ll decades,? since the series' introduction in 2007.

Accompanying the announcement was this teaser video for what will surely be the next Rock Band peripheral: A blue guitar with a black pickguard. We've been told this instrument will be manufactured by PDP; this will be PDP's debut after Harmonix cut ties with Mad Catz back in March.

As for what type of guitar this is, it's safe to assume this is a Fender given the timing of the tease. The iconic Fender guitars are the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, and Jazzmaster. The pickguard looks all wrong for the Telecaster, so that's out. The other three are all viable options. My money's on the Jaguar.

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And a whole load of other goodies before that

[Update: In a blog post on the official Harmonix website, it has been confirmed that online multiplayer is a feature that will be included in the expansion pack, and not as a separate? update. In other words, if you want to play online, you're going to have to pay for that expansion. Bummer.]

Rock Band 4 is finally getting online multiplayer!

The trailer up top cuts straight to the chase. Creative lead Helen announcing the mode, and then a few screens telling us the exact same thing: Rock Band 4 is getting online multiplayer during the holiday period. We don't know how it'll work, what mode??s it'll include, or anything other than its existence.

Al?ong with multiplayer, Harmonix also announced at its PAX East panel that the game will be seeing its first expansion pack this year. We don’t know too much about it right now, other than it’ll include the ability to filter and rate the song library. We’re expecting to hear more about it at E3, which is only a couple of months away.

Also in the works for the game is Battleborn-themed DLC, an Xbox On??e adapter to use the Ion drums, and a practice mode ??to let you replay segments of songs to get them right. This is all coming before the big expansion drops this autumn.

While it got off to a rocky start, now seems like a great time to be a Rock Band fan. Unless you’re on PC, that is…

First Rock Band 4 Expansion Coming This Fa??ll, Online Multiplayer This Ho?liday [GameSpot]

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There will be no encores

In what may or may not be a surprise depending on your perspective, the PC version of Rock Band 4 isn't going to happen. The crowdfunding campaign, held on the investment-based Fig platfo??rm, failed to meet its goal.

I?n total, the campaign only managed to pull in $792,817, just barely above 50% of its $1.5 million ask. There just wasn't enough interest, or faith, in the project to give it wings. Bummer news for fans of plastic instruments everywhere.

Rock Band will always have a special place in my heart, but I can't say this outcome is totally shocking. Given the unenthusiastic response to Rock Band 4 on console and the general genre fatigue for rhythm games, this campai?gn looked like a bit of a non-starter from th?e get-go.

I'll solemnly hold a lighter in the air for you, Rock Band 4.

Rock Band 4 for PC + Rock Band Network [Fig]

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The cost of rockin'

This news story is only for those who are among the most dedicated to their career as world's greatest fake cover band. If having access to every song in the Rock Band catalog and having access to 25 fewer Benjamins appeals to you, liste????n up.

Harmonix has added a new reward tier in an effort to raise more money for its on-going crowdfunding campaign for a PC port of Rock Band 4. The "Collector" level's main appeal is that it comes with the entire current library of DLC for all of Rock Band. At the time of wri??ting, four people have taken Harmonix ??up on this offer.

The exact num?ber of tracks isn't pinned down because licensing issues of individual songs may change before the reward is delivered. However, it should be north of 2,000 tracks. That's a fair discount over buying them all separately, if anyone were willing to pay $1.99 for every single song.

Also, it's worth noting that this only happens if Rock Band 4 on PC is ?actually funded. Things aren't looking great, as the project is currently hovering around $500,000 raised of its $1,500,000 goal. The campaign still has 11 days remaining, but it'll need a big shot in the arm to make up that much ground. If it fails, those prospective collectors will have to acquire every single track the old-fashioned way -- $2 at a time.

Rock Band 4 for PC + Rock Band Network [Fig]

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Teams up with PDP instead

Last spring, little more than one year ago today, it was announced that Rock Band 4 was happening and that Mad Catz would co-publish the game alongside Harmonix. Mad Catz would be responsible for manufacturing the hardware, Harmonix would develop the game, and they would presumably split the distribution costs. Five months removed from Rock Band 4's launch, H??armonix has had en??ough of that partnership.

In a press release sent out this afternoon, Harmonix revealed that Performance Designed Products (PDP) is Rock Band 4's new co-publisher. Further, Harmonix says that it has a "major Rock Band 4 feature update coming this fall," and that new hardware will accompany it. It's just a presump?tion at this point, but it kind of sounds like the game is getting re-released in a more polished form.

As for Mad Catz, Harmonix didn't outwardly say that it severed ties. But, the signing of PDP in the role that Mad Catz originally served makes it sound as if the business relationship has been dissolved. We've reached out to H?armonix representatives to confirm that this is the case, but we?? haven't yet heard back.

In February, Mad Catz went through a tumultuous few days where it saw three board members resign before posting its most recent fiscal results; during that investors meeting, it was also announced that the company was laying off one-third of its staff.

In hindsight, it's unknown if those layoffs occurred because this partnership was coming to an end, or if Harmonix terminated it more recently (possibly because of the situation Mad Catz is in). It's sort of a chicken-and-egg type of thing. It's also unclear if the co-publishing relati??onship between Harmonix and Mad Catz had an end date, or if Harmonix just dissolved it.

Whatever the case may be, Rock Band is heading in a different direction -- a direction that doesn't include Mad Catz for the first time since 2010. PDP will be the new face of Rock Band's hardware, at???? least for the time being. Later this year, we'll find out exactly how it plans to change the game's instruments.

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Uh

We all knew Harmonix didn't strike gold with Rock Band 4 sales-wise, but this is something else.

The publisher has announced a FIG crowdfunding campaign for Rock Band 4, which will apparently benefit the core game as a platform and fund a PC version. Within an hour of its announcement it hit approximately $20,000 of its lofty $1,500,000 goal, with 35 days left. Rewards at lower tiers of the campaign basically involve free digital copies of their other releases, 30 bonus tracks at the $49 level and above, and the PC edition of Rock Band 4 when it launches.

When it does?? eventually hit Steam, it will retail f??or $59.99 with 65 songs. Instruments are sold separately. I wonder how this will turn out. All signs point to...not great?

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Our thoughts are with everyone affected

Over a third of Mad Catz staff will be let go by the end o??f ??April 2017.

Following missed financi??al targets, the hardware company is expected to save $5 million by cutting 37% of staff.

Despite having its? second-highest quarter to date (a ??114% year-on-year increase to $65M), net income is down by 10% to $1.2M with the previous nine months chalking up losses of $4.4M.

According to new president and CEO Karen McGinnis, Rock Band 4 sales were “strong” but initial sales forecasts we?re overestimated.

“Rock Band sell-through was lower than originally forecast resulting in higher inventor??y balances as well as?? lower margins due to increased promotional activity with retailers,” said McHinnis.

“Looking ahead, ??we are confident in our ability to further monetise our diverse range of products and are focused on updating and improving many of our product offerings to better leverage the opportunities we see ahead.”

Maybe charging eleventy gazillion dollars* for each RB4 peripheral dampened sales?

Ou?r thoughts and best wi??shes to all who&rsquo;ve been affected by these cuts. <3

* May be an exaggeration

Mad Catz lays off 37% of staff despite “strong” Rock Band?? 4 sales [VG24/7]

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And a few more songs

Harmonix has just dropped a rather large update on Rock Band 4, which fixes a number of issues that were plaguing the game. It's that one -- the one that wipes the leaderboards clean due to exploits -- so be prepared to? start over! Th??ere's also a few new items ready at the in-game storefront, and some more general fixes for other more minor issues.

In terms of tracks, "Get? Lucky," "Hey Ya!" (ugh) and "Heartbeat Song" have arrive. They're ??priced at the token $1.99 each. More songs are teased for February, including Bruno Mars and Five Finger Death Punch.

Rock Band 4 [Harmonix]

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Can't blame them for tryin'

The prospect of puppies has an undeniable power. Earlier this week, professional hockey player Bobby Ryan scored a goal in a game, earning these two kids a new pup. Not to be outdone, the next day another hockey player netted three goals, which got this girl a puppy (on her birthday, no less!)

Don't underestimate the allure of puppies. Asking professional athletes to exchange performance for pets is uncertain, though. One C??raigslist user is going for a more tried-and-true method: Bartering.

Much to Harmonix's dismay (probably), someone is trying to trade their PS4 guitar-bundled Rock Band 4 set for a puppy. Good moves! Why settle for a video game which is some entertainment when you could have a puppy that is all the entertainment?

There are some restrictions, though. The trade-pr??oposer doesn't really want a chihuahua or a pug. Outside of that, everything's a green light. They "just want something cute to cuddle." That Strat just isn't adorable enough to wake up ?to on a cold Sunday morning.

@KeitaroE37 [Twitter]

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Transfer is ready

Earlier this month Harmonix flipped the switch that allowed PS4 players to import the original Rock Band into the newly released Rock Band 4&n?bsp;-- but it left Xbox One owner??s hanging until an undisclosed date.

But the publisher announced over the weekend that Xbox One was good to go, and that you could start downloading the tr??acks immediately. Unfortunately, it seems as if they're only available as singles, and a bundle isn't an option yet. For reference, go to the "imports" tab of the store to grab your goods. If you ha?ven't imported yet, you're basically out of luck.

Harmonix [Twitter]

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Xbox One's import is delayed

Harmonix is making good on its promise to get you more legacy tracks in Rock Band 4, and that includes the original game. Although the Xbox One import has been delayed a bit, PS4 owners can log on now and go to the Export tab to get their songs.?? Note that three tracks cannot be imported, likely due to licensing reasons, and eight tracks will not be available right away (list below).

More imports are coming later, and you can view the full list of planned titles here.

How do I export Rock Band (1) into Rock Band 4? [Harmonix]

Coming later:

• Anarchy Club - "Blood Doll"
• Bang Camaro - "Pleasure (Pleasure)"
• Death of the Cool - "Can't Let Go"
• Freezepop - "Brainpower"
• Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives - "I Get By"
• The Acro-brats - "Day Late, Dollar Short"
• Tribe - "Outside"
• VAGIANT - "Seven"

Will never import:

• Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”
• Iron Maiden – “Run to the Hills”
• Metallica – “Enter Sandman”

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That's a cute way to put it

I enjoyed Rock Band 4 for the most part, but that game shipped with a few issues that weren't discovered or sorted out until after launch. Mostly relating to physical instrument troubles, but? there was another bug that folks found that triggers double overdrive, and thus, a manipulation of the online leaderboards.

To combat this "gnarly bug" Harmonix is going to reset all of the online rankings come ??January. Local scores won't be wiped -- just online ones. Either wa??y, it's unfortunate that the developer has taken this long to address the issue.

January Update Preview [Harmonix]

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It's pretty easy

Harmonix has finally added in the ability to bring over every track from Rock Band 3 into the newest iteration. Yep, that's every track, and despite the import licensing issues in the past, all 83 songs ar?e goo??d to go. Provided that you own the game in the same console family, you can transfer them over with a fairly simple process that costs $14.99.

Just boot up Rock Band 4, go to the "Get More Songs" section, and select exports. From there, you'll find an option for Rock Band 3, and it will authenticate. On Xbox One everything will instantly load, but on PS4 you'll have to manually re-download every song. It's all listed there so you don't have to hunt, but it's tedious. The entire process took me roughly 15 seconds to do, from start up to queuing all the songs. I hope the first two games and LEGO Rock Band are this easy.

So yeah, enjoy your Rock Band 3 songs, sans keyboard (RIP), and try them on Brutal Mode.

The post Here’s how to bring Rock Band 3’s tracks into 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

So don't hold your breath, k?

Harmonix has confirmed that while online multiplayer is "very much on the table" for Rock Band 4, it'??s n??ot yet clear on "where it fits in our roadmap."

"Online multiplayer is a part of a much bigger conversation. We know it’s at the top of a lot of peoples’ want list," stated David Sussman on the Harmonix Blog.

"Online play with Rock Band is a big deal given the amount o??f different combinations of player (four potential instruments, different difficulties, song affinities between players, etc.). There?? is a ton of testing necessary as well technical back end to work through in order to provide a fun, stable experience.

"For any feature development, especially features that have existed in our legacy Rock Band games, we want to be able to improve and refine wherever possible. In the case of online play, we have a lot of critical feedback on the Rock Band 3&nbs?p;design tha??t we&rsquo;d love to be able to address."

Sussman goes on to add that in order to move forward, the devel?oper is seek?ing advice from players by way of a survey. 

"Adding this functionality is very much on the table but we’re not yet sure where it fits in our roadmap. Part of our process includes taking your advice into consideration. Before we can deliver a feature as complex as Online Multiplayer, we?? would like to better understand what you want and find to be important.

"In an effort to drive that conversation forward, we&rsquo;??ll be sending out a survey about online play shortly so you can provide feedback that helps direct our development efforts as we make decisions about what to do next."

Feel free to let us know what you think below!

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And the toughest

Harmonix rolled out an update for Rock Band 4 earlier this week that included a whole bunch of unexpected additions. It's impressive in its scope. A lot of the changes were meant to make Rock Band 4 feel more like a complete g??ame after its trim launch -- online leaderboards, more detailed post-song sta?tistics, and an expanded wardrobe are all good examples.

Those improvements aren't necessarily the type of things that will make people say Rock Band 4 is a better game. Think of it like vacuuming. No one gets credit for a ??particularly well-vacuumed floor. It's just "Okay, this is how it should be." But, when they miss a spot, it sticks out like a sore thumb and that's all anyone notices. The omissions of online leaderboards and others were missed spots, and Harmonix just now cleaned them up.

But, (and this is where the metaphor really falls apart) while housekeeping, Harmonix decided to build an entirely new room in the House of Rock Band. It's more li??ke an exclusive lodge, actually. Anyone can enter, but not everyone will be welcomed. Hell, no one will be truly welcomed. That's what makes it so great.

This added-on room is the new Brutal Mode for Rock Band 4, and it's the best thing to happen to Rock Band in years. It's a mode where the notes disappear as they come flying down the track, but it's still your responsibility to play them in tim??e. There's an invisible gate that determines where the notes cut off, and it's tied to your crowd performance meter. The worse you're doing, the longer you get to see the notes.

Take a look at this video of me playing. It'll give you a greater sense of what actually makes this difficult. Sometimes I play well, other times I play poorly. At ??no times, however, am I playing comfortably.

For those who have spent countless hours honing their Rock Band proficiency, this is the perfect addition to the game. It forces the hardcore community to play differently than th??ey've played before, but while still using the same skills. This is built for the people who chase full combos and won't accept anything less. It taps into their meticulous drive to play well, and beautifully flips it on its head.

Brutal Mode is maddening and it's not because of the vanishing notes. It's because of the psychological mind games the mode plays. Any well-versed player will tell you that they don't watch the notes reach the bottom of the track. Instead, they reach a sort of inner-harmony where they immediately internalize the note and play it in time while doing the same for every other note that flows downward. It's not a sensation that can be easily e??xplained to anyone who hasn't felt it.

This mode's brilliance lies within the fact that it changes the Rock Band experience from a visual one to an audial one. Sure, there's a preview of the upcoming notes, but it's on you to know the correct time to play them. Feeling the music is necessary; disconnecting from the music and trying to brute force the notes on ??what seems to be the right beat will just result i??n awkward plunks and wails. Overthinking it is a formula for failure.

Ironically, when you're failing is when Brutal Mode is maybe at its toughest. It'd seem natural that the inverse is true; the worse you'r?e doing, the longer you can see the n??otes. That should be easiest.

It's not, though. Not even close. Any fluctuation in the process can temporarily damn you. Seeing those notes and thinking about them switches your mindset ba?ck from audial to visual. As it turns out, your brain can adjust to sticking to one of those; flip-flopping is where you get confused and freeze up. The invention of Brutal Mode is a staunch informer that being able to see the notes is a huge crutch, even if it doesn't seem that way. 

In 2010, Harmonix tried to advance the Rock Band experience by introducing Pro Mode -- a way for players to actually learn the instruments they were simulating. It didn't fare all that well. The barrier to entry was high and the learning curve was steep. As it turns out, a lot of people who spent a bunch of time mastering Rock Band and Guitar Hero&nbsp;didn't want to start from sc?ratch on? a new skill; they wanted to build on the ones they already have.

Brutal Mode feels as if it were built for that audience. It's an extension of the toughest Rock Band has to offer while managing to change the way the game is approached. Anyone who's good enough at Rock Band to take a serious try at? Brutal Mode has long ago lost the magic that comes with improving at the genre. This helps recapture some of that. That's a win by any measure, brutal as it may?? be.

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