Harmonix hints at next generation Rock Band

Harmonix has made a survey available to users asking about the future of the Rock Band series. The survey suggests that the developer may be looking at bringing back the music series. The short survey asks a number of questions about Rock Band. It asks how regularly gamers play the game, how often players buy DLC and on what consoles they play Rock Band on. It also asks what instruments users own and rank how excited they are about a number of different scenarios, including a brand new release on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Wii U.

The last Rock Band release was the 2012 entry Rock Band Blitz. However, Blitz was not a full game like other instalments, instead it was a smaller downloadable title that focused on different gameplay mechanics than the main series. Rock Band 3 was the last full release, arriving in 2010. Since then Harmonix has said publicly that they had not abandoned Rock Band, with staff stating they would likely return to it at some point in the future. Speaking to GameSpot studio executive Alex Rigopulos said: “[The Rock Band and Dance Central franchises] are near and dear to our hearts and our minds. And we have grand plans to bring back both of them with guns blazing at some point in the coming console cycle.”

Harmonix previously worked on the Guitar Hero series before moving to create their own music title. They released the original Rock Band in 2007 and went on to create several sequels and spin-offs such as The Beatles: Rock Band. The developer is currently working on a number of projects, including Amplitude, Dance Central Spotlight and first-person shooter Chroma. Their most high-profile game currently under development is Fantasia, Music Evolved, a collaboration with Disney that will incorporate the Kinect accessory on the Xbox One.