GRcade

[iup=3653422]Trelliz[/iup] wrote:

[iup=3652957]more heat than light[/iup] wrote:And the old instruments need to work. I have faith in Harmonix to pull that off.

I admire your optimism, however seeing as all previous racing wheels, arcade sticks and every other peripheral have been locked out of the new generation, expect some bullshit spin about "enhanced/improved input controls" or some gooseberry fool which totally justifies making you buy it all over again.

twitter.com/Harmonix/status/556151722406862849

Rock Band developer Harmonix on Friday released a new survey that asks fans for feedback about a "new Rock Band experience." The survey, which Harmonix released via email blast and on Twitter, asks fans to give their thoughts on all manner of items related to what is probably Rock Band 4.

The survey starts off by asking which Rock Band games you've played in the past, and which you enjoyed the most. It also asks about console preferences, and things like what plastic instruments you already own, how often you played during peak times, how many DLC tracks you bought, and why you enjoy Rock Band.

But where things really get interesting is the third page, which asks players to rank the features they find most important for a "new Rock Band experience."

Options Include:

• Fixed campaign mode
• Competing with the world through leaderboards
• Local multiplayer
• Online multiplayer
• A Variety of venues to play in
• Regularly updated in-game events (Tour Challenges, Battle of the Bands, etc.)
• The ability to create and customize your own character
• Pro instruments and Pro lessons
• Compatibility of existing DLC
• New weekly DLC
• Compatibility of existing hardware
• A large on-disc soundtrack

The survey also asks, assuming the "new Rock Band experience" was compatible with existing hardware, if you would consider buying the game only, the game bundled with one instrument, or the game bundled with a full set of instruments.

Finally, the survey asks if you'd be inclined to preorder a new Rock Band game no matter what or only if Harmonix tossed in bonuses like songs or character outfits.

This survey should not be taken as an indication that Harmonix is indeed working on Rock Band 4. In fact, the Cambridge, Mass.-based developer has said that the game is not in development, even though the studio has "grand plans" to revive the franchise some day for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

A Harmonix representative told GameSpot today about the survey: "From time to time, it's important for us to reach out directly to our audience to see what they're most interested in and excited about."

"As we've said in the past, this is a series that is near and dear to us as a studio," the developer went on. "We're always thinking about it, as well as actively supporting the community. What the plans for the future are remain to be seen, but feedback from our fans is always valuable; we appreciate folks taking time out to let us know what they’re thinking."

Harmonix communications manager Nick Chester said in October that Rock Band will return "when the time is right."

"We love Rock Band, it's in the company's DNA," Chester said at the time. "We own the IP. And when the time's right we will absolutely come back to it. There's a whole bunch of factors to take into consideration before jumping in that pool again, but there's a desire for it, absolutely."

The most recent Rock Band game was Rock Band Blitz, which was released in 2012 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Just this week, Harmonix launched the first new DLC tracks for Rock Band in 21 months.

Rock Band, the video-game series where players jam along to recorded music, is developing a new title, the first since 2012, according to a person familiar with the plan.



Rock Band, the video-game series where players jam along to recorded music, is developing a new title, the first since 2012, according to a person familiar with the plan.

Harmonix Music Systems Inc. is creating the new game for the latest generation of consoles, such as Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox One, said the person, who asked not to be named because the matter is private.

Rock Band, along with similar titles such as Guitar Hero, grew in popularity in last decade, leading Viacom Inc.’s MTV unit to buy Harmonix for $175 million in 2006. Trends in casual gaming have since shifted toward digital and mobile play and Harmonix was sold to investment firm Columbus Nova LLC in 2010.

The band genre, once a significant part of software and hardware sales, has been silent for the past few years. Activision Blizzard Inc. last released a Guitar Hero game in 2010 and disbanded the unit a year later.

The genre was a three-year fad largely driven by casual gamers, said Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen & Co. “After a while, people got tired of it,” Creutz said in a phone interview. “I don’t think they stopped gaming -- a lot went to Facebook and mobile.”

Losing Money

Rock Band became the top-selling title in 2008, Viacom President and Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman said in a earnings call at the time. But within a few years, the unit began to lose money, prompting New York-based Viacom to seek a buyer.

Before 2005, instrumental music video-games represented 2 percent of all U.S. software sales, according to Creutz. The genre reached its peak in 2008 at 18 percent. After a steady decline, the genre is now less than 1 percent, he said.

At retailers, floor space for the plastic instruments is shrinking as the industry trends toward digital. Publishers of instrumental games have to fight for space with toy games like Activision’s Skylanders and Nintendo Co.’s Amiibo.

Still, Creutz says casual gamers like the idea of a rhythm game timed to a song. “I really don’t think we’ll see any big revival of the plastic instrument trend,” said Creutz.

The last title in the series, Rock Band Blitz, was released in August 2012. Speculation regarding another Rock Band title began after Harmonix released two three add-on songs for Rock Band 3 on Tuesday.

The game maker also sent out a poll in January, surveying consumer interest in an updated Rock Band for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

twitter.com/Harmonix/status/563810265138200576

PAX East 2015 Pin List:

Arctic Monkeys – “R U Mine?”
Avenged Sevenfold – “Shepherd Of Fire”
Foo Fighters – “Something From Nothing”
Tenacious D – “Rize Of The Fenix”
Weezer – “Back To The Shack”

We belong in the rock world
There is so much left to do
If we die in obscurity, oh well
At least we raised some hell

Kotaku has learned from two separate sources that Activision has a new Guitar Hero game in development, reportedly for this year.

The new title, which one source says will be announced at E3 this year, takes a "more realistic" approach than previous Guitar Hero games, all of which have had a cartoonish visual style. Crowds and performers will look more in-line with real life. We were told that there are new guitar peripherals in development for the title, and both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were mentioned. It is reportedly due for an E3 announcement and a full release before the end of the year.

The last Guitar Hero game - Warriors of Rock - was released in in September 2010, by which time the global recession had already totally deflated the music-game boom of the mid to late '00s. Activision officially killed the series in late 2011, having bought it (along with its original publisher, RedOctane) in 2007, though Kotaku reported that an ambitious and troubled seventh game was in development at New York studio Vicarious Visions.

Both Neversoft and RedOctane, the two studios that had worked on Guitar Hero after it was acquired by Activision, have since been closed. Although neither source told us exactly which developer is looking after the new Guitar Hero, it was indicated that it's one of Activision's West Coast studios, which would rule out Vicarious Visions.

This comes shortly after various signs that another beloved music game franchise, Harmonix's Rock Band, may be due a revival.

Contacted for comment, an Activision spokesperson said that it did not comment on rumour or speculation, but had a little more to add: "We don't comment on rumour or speculation, but have previously said, that as one of the most beloved entertainment franchises, we would only bring Guitar Hero back if we developed the right innovations to usher the franchise into the new generation of gaming."

bear wrote:DLC compatibility is the big deal breaker for me. It would suck to have to get new instruments but I've already accepted that it's quite likely.

A new Guitar Hero is awful news as it will probably lead to song exclusivity deals.