Five years ago Rock Band quickly became a pop culture phenomenon. Photo: Harmonix Music Systems Inc
Screen Play got very excited earlier this month when an email from developer Harmonix announced that Midnight Oil anthem Power and the Passion would be added to Rock Band's bulging music library.
Rock Band now boasts over 3500 tracks from over 1400 artists, a staggering selection that backs up the bold claims from five years ago that Rock Band wouldn't just be a game, but a new music platform.
In an interview with Screen Play back in 2007 for a feature on games and music, Harmonix designer Dan Teasdale was full of pride about how games like Guitar Hero were widening the gaming audience and exposing consumers to new music.
"We're viewing Rock Band as more than just a game, but a platform for consuming and experiencing music," he gushed.
Yet even the mighty Oils and the chance to play 3500 other songs hasn't been enough incentive for me to drag out my Rock Band instruments recently from storage, and I am sure I'm not alone.
While the launch of Rock Band was a phenomenal success, with its legion of players including many of gaming newcomers, five years later its chances of an Elvis-style comeback seem sadly remote.
Harmonix co-founder and CEO Alex Rigopulos recently suggested that the "arms race" between Activision's Guitar Hero and EA/MTV's Rock Band was part of the genre's downfall, which included overspending on music licensing and consumer marketing campaigns.
"Both of us went into that competition with the mindset that there was really only space for one (franchise)," Rigopulos told Edge Magazine. "Therefore we were both aggressive in our approach in a way that didn't ultimately serve either of us well."
Stockpiles of unsold plastic instruments at retail, often at drastically reduced prices, became an increasingly common reminder of the folly of the publishers and the rapidly diminishing consumer interest.
Refreshingly, Rigopulos refuses to subscribe to the popular theory that Activision killed their golden goose by over-saturating the market with too many Guitar Hero games.
"Maybe that's part of the story, but I certainly don't think that's the entire story." He suggests other factors that led to the genre's rapid fall include the impact of recession, the lack of gameplay evolution and the fickle tastes of casual gamers.
Fortunately, Harmonix continues to have success with the Dance Central franchise, while Ubisoft's Just Dance series has also been incredibly successful, giving hope that the music genre's bubble is not completely burst. Nintendo is also preparing to try to re-energise the karaoke market using its Wii U controller to create a more intimate, social experience.
And without revealing any detail, Harmonix remains bullish that Rock Band still has a future.
"There's a lot of stuff we're working on that will change the way people think about Rock Band, says Harmonix project lead Greg LoPiccolo.
LoPiccolo was likely refering to Rock Band Blitz - an upcoming rhythm game from Harmonix for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network due for release before Christmas.
The game does not use instrument controllers, but rather regular controllers with gameplay mechanics similar to Frequency, Amplitude and Rock Band Unplugged. The game will come with 25 songs and is compatible with any downloaded Rock Band 3 tracks.
Today I'm keen to hear what would it take for you to rock on and pick up a plastic instrument again? Let us know in the comments section below.
Screen Play is on Twitter: @screenplayblog
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