Rock Band Lives On (Someday), Says Harmonix CEO

[Earnest Cavalli]

Rock Band Lives On (Someday), Says Harmonix CEO

Though Harmonix just announced its next project, CEO Alex Rigopulos wants to allay any fears about the future of the Rock Band franchise.

This morning developer Harmonix revealed Fantasia: Music Evolved [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124600-Fantasia-Music-Evolved-Teams-Harmonix-With-Disney], a rhythm-based collaboration with Disney that serves as the studio's first big new franchise effort in years. Despite this (and likely regardless of how well Fantasia does), Harmonix is known best for their efforts in the Rock Band franchise. I'd explain what Rock Band is, but if you're on this website, I feel pretty safe in assuming that you're familiar with the title.

Having read Harmonix's announcement, many fans feared that the developer might be abandoning Rock Band. However, that's not the case. Speaking to VentureBeat, Harmonix CEO and co-founder Alex Rigopulos laid any doubts to rest as to how his company feels about their biggest success to date and its potential future.

When asked how it feels to leave behind their earlier franchises in favor of this new project, Rigopulos explains that Harmonix doesn't see it that way. "On some level, of course, it's always difficult to leave one creative work behind and move on to the next one," Rigopulos states. "On another level, it's exciting to be doing fundamentally new things."

"I'll also say that we don't view Rock Band as something that's being left behind. It's something we'll return to at the right point in time and reimagine it as appropriate for its time," he adds.

When or how this next step in the evolution of Rock Band might emerge remains a mystery, but the idea of a next-generation Rock Band is undeniably exciting for those of us who fall squarely in the middle of the Venn diagram labeled "music nerds" and "videogame nerds." That said, there are many issues surrounding the idea. If nothing else, Harmonix will need to figure out some way to transfer the hundreds of songs many of us have stored on our current consoles specifically for Rock Band without incurring a ton of licensing fees or charging players too much additional cash just to enjoy the music they've already purchased. Further, would a next generation Rock Band require that we repurchase all of those plastic instruments we spent good cash on only a few years back?

Hopefully Harmonix has a plan to combat these issues, but if not the firm does have a substantial amount of time before it has to start worrying about its next game. In the meanwhile, let's keep our fingers crossed that Fantasia: Music Evolved is another entry in Harmonix's portfolio of wildly addictive rhythm titles.

Source: VentureBeat [http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/04/harmonixs-alex-rigopulos-on-why-musical-motion-creation-is-video-gamings-next-wave-exclusive-interview/#f2ggpO2TCKX2Kulc.99]

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[Something Amyss]

I believe them, given the care and support they've given the Rock Band franchise for years and years.

Unfortunately, I doubt I can use a game like their new one. There's a chance I'm going to spend the rest of my life with mobility problems because of back issues. I'd really like to try their newer titles but anything involving the Kinect leaves me behind.

 

[The Hungry Samurai]

If Harmonix wasn't letting the rights to use/sell all their songs expire there would be a simple and lucrative solution to all of us who will inevitably have to leave our old consoles collections behind. Make the next Rock Band a subscription based MMO which granted us access to ALL THEIR SONGS

On one hand it would suck having to pay $5-20 a month to play rock band. On the other I used to spend way more than that in the games heyday, and I have barely made a dent in their huge library.

I honestly don't see where else they could go with the title. Nobody wants to have more plastic instruments cluttering up their living room.

 

[Artemis923]

Black Metal Band.

Make it happen, Harmonix.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I hate that it died in the first place. I just added cymbals to my drums, and I got a real Midi keyboard to play pro keys for realsies (kinda). I'm nowhere near done mastering all of the instruments, the songs for those instruments, or all the songs I haven't bought yet. Nobody wants to play anymore, though. I think it was too much at once and it got Gangnam Style'd. Now I'm "that guy", trying to crack the top 1% with the 8 or 9 instruments in my house. Oh well.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I'm still waiting for Rock Band Japan...I knew as soon as it was announced that it would either be released and nobody but me would buy it or it would never see the light of day (in the US anyway). All I really want is a Rock Band game that lets me play Fire After Fire and, Art of Life without looking for a fan-made version...

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

I still play Rock Band, and I'm still upset that the music genre is basically dead. Not sure about their new game, but I do want more Rock Band.

I'm still waiting for Rock Band Japan...I knew as soon as it was announced that it would either be released and nobody but me would buy it or it would never see the light of day (in the US anyway). All I really want is a Rock Band game that lets me play Fire After Fire and, Art of Life without looking for a fan-made version...

I want Rock Band: Tokyo Jihen. Just for me.

 

[YunikoYokai5]

I quite liked Rock Band and other rhythm based games. I guess the genre has gone underground for a time, it would explain why I haven't heard any of them for a while. My only issue now is that I picked up Rocksmith...and I'm learning to play an actual guitar now rather than pushing buttons on a plastic controller. I think I remember hearing Rock Band did have a pro version where you could use a real guitar but I'm not too sure.