After over eight years of weekly downloadable content releases, Harmonix Music Systems has announced that January 25th, 2024, will mark the final DLC addition to Rock Band 4. While new song purchases will cease, all existing online services will remain unaffected, including Rivals seasons, online play, and access to previously purchased content.
Harmonix expressed deep gratitude to the Rock Band community in their blog post. They stated that they had received thousands of song requests and had a lot of fun bringing these musical experiences to life. The developer boasts a staggering achievement: releasing nearly 3,000 songs as Rock Band DLC, with an even higher number including official soundtracks. Harmonix reassured everyone that they had continued access to purchased songs within Rock Band 4 indefinitely.
To be honest, I had no idea Rockband still made DLC songs. Having an aged game on top of competing with Fortnite and Rocksmith is likely to make things much harder. Looking ahead, Harmonix will now focus on the Fortnite Festival. For those who weren’t aware, this is a free-to-play rhythm game experience within the Fortnite universe. It features a rotating selection of playable songs and upcoming support for Rock Band 4 instruments. This is the perfect place for Harmonix to go.
Harmonix intends to mark the final two weeks of Rock Band 4 DLC with special releases, offering a sentimental tribute to the game’s legacy and expressing appreciation for the community’s passionate engagement.
While the end of new song releases signifies a closing chapter for Rock Band 4’s DLC era, the game has an existing library that is hard to fathom. It’s good that they’re heading to Fortnite Festival because that game mode can only improve with such an experienced team.
We will likely see Fortnite add some products of their own rather than rely on Rockband’s older instruments if it becomes more popular. It would be interesting to see how Epic Games turns Fortnite Festival into a new rock band.
