There will be no more Rock Band Network releases
Rock Band developer Harmonix has elected to end support for the Rock Band Network, a tool allowing users to author their own tracks for the franchise.
The Rock Band Network experience has been getting steadily more rocky since Harmonix closed development support for past releases in early 2013, and as such, the team had elected to formally close the service.
In a post on the Harmonix forums, the developer said that no more releases will be allowed.
"At this point, with Harmonix resources devoted to several other titles in development, we’re no longer able to operate RBN with the kind of consistency that it deserves. As a result, we will no longer be taking any submissions or releasing new content through RBN," Harmonix said.
This is pretty disappointing for fans, as it means there'll be no more new music available to download; Harmonix itself stopped making DLC tracks over a year ago.
New registrations and access to Creator tools have been closed, but existing tracks will not be affected and will remain on sale.
Harmonix reflected on the service's four year history and said it never expected it to be so popular or successful.
"We certainly couldn’t have predicted that the RBN authors would generate a body of work that so quickly eclipsed the official Harmonix output."
"Even if we had been able to anticipate the level of enthusiasm, we certainly couldn’t have predicted that the RBN authors would generate a body of work that so quickly eclipsed the official Harmonix output," the developer said.
"As of today, the total stands at 2,121 songs released by authors in the Rock Band Network, and 2,100 songs authored by Harmonix, and that’s even including on disc songs.
"We are eternally grateful to all the Creators, authors, testers, labels, bands, and fans that have supported Rock Band Network since its inception. The team here at Harmonix remains committed to exploring opportunities for user generated content, as well as the ability to personalize your experience with our games. We can only hope that the next time we approach a similar initiative the community is as dedicated and enthusiastic as this community has been.
"Thanks to all of you for helping make Rock Band Network something special."
Fans waiting to hear about the series future were left with this snippet:
"Rock Band remains a huge part of the culture here at Harmonix, and there’s not a day that goes by where someone in the office isn’t talking about Rock Band, or planning for the future of the franchise."
Hmm!