as some of you know, Harmonix is the company responsible for the Rock
Band series. Here's a link to part 1 of a really good interview conducted by
GiantBomb, and some interesting sections I've pasted below for those too
lazy to check out the whole thing lol.
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/the-past-present-and-future-of-harmonix-part-i/3761/
Here are some interesting bits related to the Rock Band franchise:
GB: Considering the insane number of features Rock Band 3 came out with, one
does have to wonder if Rock Band is something that can still be innovated on
in its current form. Do you think it can be?
GLP: Absolutely. We're thinking hard about that, how to move it forward. I'm
confident in saying on the record that we have not abandoned the Rock Band
franchise, we think there's a lot of creative life left in it, and we're
extremely excited in the creative opportunities we think are there.
AR: We definitely plan to keep releasing weekly DLC, we're at what, like 200
weeks now?
John Drake: Yup! Almost four years straight of weekly DLC.
AR: So we still have a loyal audience who continues to show up weekly to
gobble up our weekly releases. That actually continues to be a profitable
business
for us, which is nice. And then we have the relaunch of Rock Band 3 with
Mad Catz
this holiday season. It's a Metacritic 93 title you can buy at retail for
$19.99, so if you're still playing an older Guitar Hero or Rock Band game,
it's
a great value.
So in the short term we're basically continuing to attend to that business
as we have been. In the longer term, looking into next year, we're actually
considering
fairly fundamental creative reinterpretation of what the Rock Band business
is. We're committed to the franchise, but when I think that when we do
things
with it in the future, it's going to be a pretty dramatic departure from
what we've done before.
GB: Undoubtedly the DLC market has been huge, but at a point that does seem
sort of like preaching to the choir, satiating the audience you already have
locked down. Is there something you believe you can do to extend beyond that
existing fanbase?
AR: I'd love to talk at great length about that, of course. I'm reluctant to
say too much about where we're headed with it right now, except to reiterate
that it's a pretty radical departure.
EE: It's interesting. We do have plans on where we're going to go with Rock
Band and how we plan to expand it. All I'll say for now is that it isn't
what
you think. You might assume we're going to add saxophone or something along
those lines, but no, the kind of direction we're planning on taking Rock
Band,
the kind of innovation we have in mind, is taking it in a different
direction, one that's more suitable to the kind of environment we're in,
what people
are doing now, what they're interested in playing now, versus, say, 2007.
GB: So there are some strong ideas then?
EE: It's more than ideas. We are working on it, and we have forward
progress. It's an exciting, fresh take on it. I'll leave it at that.
So, let's speculate! What could these guys be working on? A complete reboot
of the franchise, perhaps? and if so, what could we as gamers and music
enthusiasts expect? they clearly stated it has nothing to do with new
instruments, and to be honest, I expected as much. I don't even think it's
anything to do with pro instruments. I think it's something much, much
deeper than all that. an actual band experience that'll blur the line
between a gamer, and a musician. HMX is all about innovation. I think
whatever we come up with won't even come close to what the company has in
store for us, but let's give it a good shot! I'm totally psyched for this
thing, whatever it may be. so, whatcha guys think ?
---
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