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, and 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 seemed 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.” January 18 will include Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and The Troggs’ “Our Love Will Still Be There”. 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, ongoing 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 priority 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.
