Bring Rock Band Blitz to PC!

[Mashley]

Harmonix is missing out on a huge opportunity by not releasing their upcoming game on PC. The PC market has been booming in recent years due to digital distribution services like Steam, but there's a severe lack of good commercial rhythm action games. It's understandable that previous games in the Rock Band franchise have been console exclusive due to the need for special controllers but for this one there's no reason not to port it to PC; Blitz would play fine with a keyboard or a USB controller. There's definitely a huge gap in the market and it's silly for Harmonix not to fill it.
Plus I want to play it too. :P

[skyp1e]

Harmonix is missing out on a huge opportunity by not releasing their upcoming game on PC. The PC market has been booming in recent years due to digital distribution services like Steam, but there's a severe lack of good commercial rhythm action games. It's understandable that previous games in the Rock Band franchise have been console exclusive due to the need for special controllers but for this one there's no reason not to port it to PC; Blitz would play fine with a keyboard or a USB controller. There's definitely a huge gap in the market and it's silly for Harmonix not to fill it.
Plus I want to play it too. :P

The controllers aren't why there's not RB on PC. It's the piracy. This hasn't really changed, I'm afraid.

[Mashley]

Don't be ridiculous. Piracy exists on PC, yes, but that doesn't affect it's profitability. If developers make the game accessible and convenient to customers without them having to jump through hoops they are much more likely to buy a product, and this is why the PC market is increasing so rapidly; because it is becoming more and more convenient for people to purchase the games they want. Just look at the numbers and you'll see PC gaming is growing extremely fast. Piracy is a very very small minority.

[APackofRabidSquirrels]

Don't be ridiculous. Piracy exists on PC, yes, but that doesn't affect it's profitability. If developers make the game accessible and convenient to customers without them having to jump through hoops they are much more likely to buy a product, and this is why the PC market is increasing so rapidly; because it is becoming more and more convenient for people to purchase the games they want. Just look at the numbers and you'll see PC gaming is growing extremely fast. Piracy is a very very small minority.

IIRC, it has more to do with pirates stealing the stems, not the tunes themselves.
It's a record company issue.

[LoopyChew]

Don't be ridiculous. Piracy exists on PC, yes, but that doesn't affect it's profitability. If developers make the game accessible and convenient to customers without them having to jump through hoops they are much more likely to buy a product, and this is why the PC market is increasing so rapidly; because it is becoming more and more convenient for people to purchase the games they want. Just look at the numbers and you'll see PC gaming is growing extremely fast. Piracy is a very very small minority.

The problem isn't the game piracy, it's the music piracy. Rock Band's primary selling point is as a music platform; Blitz's 25 songs (and each RB release's on-disc songs) are there as a gateway to purchasing more songs through DLC. The problem comes when pirates determine a way to crack Rock Band song files and pirate THOSE.

The music industry is touchy enough about usage rights, and their eyebrows tend to twitch at the very thought of music being distributed on PC. I would presume that, should Harmonix look at PCs as a potential gaming platform, labels would be more likely to significantly increase the licensing costs to cover a perceived potential loss of sales due to piracy, regardless of whether or not materials are actually pirated.

As is, if the music files are pirated, Harmonix loses out both ways--they'll have paid extra for the licensing of the tracks, and they receive no revenue from pirated DLC. And seeing as DLC is the primary income source of the Rock Band platform, that becomes An Issue.

ETA:


IIRC, it has more to do with pirates stealing the stems, not the tunes themselves.

That, too.

[topdrawer]

IIRC, it has more to do with pirates stealing the stems, not the tunes themselves.
It's a record company issue.

but that's just silly since the console stems are already being pirated. what difference does it make on PC?

[krisko]

Copyright issues aside, the other main problem is DLC value. Since Rock Band is not available on PC, the value for DLC decreases on PC because it could only be used in one game. They would have to port Rock Band 3 over to PC as well in order to justify bringing over Blitz, and that's just not going to happen. PC gamers do not like to play split-screen multiplayer, and Guitar Hero on PC was a complete flop due to this reason.

That said, I would still like to see SOMETHING available to play on PC. It would be a nice competitor to Audiosurf, even though the two games play nothing alike. I wouldn't mind seeing RB:B as a Facebook game with credits used to buy new songs at reduced prices compared to the console versions.

[Mashley]

DLC would sell, just integrate it with steam and bingo. Maybe a little discount would help to get the DLC purchasers flowing, idk, but the market is definitely there. The gap is there for a leading PC rhythm title and with RBB Harmonix is in a good position to fill it.

[ThatAuthoringGroup]

Record labels would NEVER go for it.

Why do you think there hasn't been any RB games on PC so far?

[FujiSkunk]

but that's just silly since the console stems are already being pirated. what difference does it make on PC?

PC games have a reputation for being much more easily cracked and pirated than console games. Whether that reputation is deserved is debatable, but it's not a debate the music labels feel like investing in.

[Icemage]

Record labels would NEVER go for it.

Why do you think there hasn't been any RB games on PC so far?
This.

Also: There's no storefront for the Rock Band catalog on PC (for reasons already given above), and that also means that there's an additional investment that would be required to set something like that up even if record labels COULD be convinced that piracy would not take over (which they won't be).

[Cipher_Peon]

It's unfortunate that it's not going to come out on PC. If it did, maybe I could convince Nucleose to buy it...

[Quigby]

Well sooner or later RB will be on PCs. There seems to be about one more generation left in the console game, then it's PC driven home entertainment.

[Mashley]

Record labels would NEVER go for it.

Why do you think there hasn't been any RB games on PC so far?
Because the entire concept with the plastic instruments and the party game atmosphere does not work on PC. PC gamers typically play close to their monitor rather than back on a couch or something, and are simply not willing to buy the extra stuff needed. The core concept of traditional Rock Band just doesn't work or sell well on PC. But Rock Band Blitz would.
And why do people think they know exactly what record label's opinion of DLC and such is? That's just pure guesswork.

[ThatAuthoringGroup]

I might know a thing or two what record labels think about DLC seeing as how I deal with them on almost daily basis.

[Mashley]

I might know a thing or two what record labels think about DLC seeing as how I deal with them on almost daily basis.

Then you have more insight, but why would record labels care about the platform? These companies already have a working relationship with Harmonix or their music would not be available in Rock Band. Why would they cut them out simply because they want to sell their products on a different platform? If it's piracy, well that doesn't stop them from selling CDs or MP3s. Until everything is cloud based (which is a long way off) all digital content is going to get cracked. It's inevitable.

[skyp1e]

Then you have more insight, but why would record labels care about the platform? These companies already have a working relationship with Harmonix or their music would not be available in Rock Band. Why would they cut them out simply because they want to sell their products on a different platform? If it's piracy, well that doesn't stop them from selling CDs or MP3s. Until everything is cloud based (which is a long way off) all digital content is going to get cracked. It's inevitable.

Although I'm sure some people out there have found ways to crack and steal the DLC content from consoles, I've not personally heard of it happening.

Cracking anything and everything in the "wild west" that is the PC environment? Let's just say I wish had a nickle for every time I've heard someone brag about stealing software, music and movies on their PC.

Equate it to this line from Jaws:

"Someone yells 'barracuda' and everyone looks around, 'what, huh?'. Shout out 'shark' and you have a full on panic on your hands".

Regardless of any reality, the perception is that releasing DLC content on PC is far more dangerous than on a console. Frankly, I share that perception.

[dabrry0523]

Then you have more insight, but why would record labels care about the platform? These companies already have a working relationship with Harmonix or their music would not be available in Rock Band. Why would they cut them out simply because they want to sell their products on a different platform? If it's piracy, well that doesn't stop them from selling CDs or MP3s. Until everything is cloud based (which is a long way off) all digital content is going to get cracked. It's inevitable.


well one of the main things Ive seen mentioned a few times, is that in the rock band tracks are the MASTER Tracks, something that is not available unless you go directly to the producer......... so if those were easy o pirate then every record company would be upset and no longer support rock band at all. the CD's and digital music (like iTunes) are all copy's none are the original master tracks.

[GNFfhqwhgads]

but once again, I would hope the record companies aren't doing the no-see, no-hear, no-speak monkey thing and pretending like the DLC hasn't been cracked. most software gets cracked within hours of being released, sometimes before it's official released. Rock Band has been out for what, 4+ years now?
A lot of times, they are. The ignorance of those out of the loop can be staggering. I doubt Harmonix is running around telling them it's possible to do, so who do you think IS telling them? They're not researching it themselves, they have better things to do.

[davidshek]

but once again, I would hope the record companies aren't doing the no-see, no-hear, no-speak monkey thing and pretending like the DLC hasn't been cracked. most software gets cracked within hours of being released, sometimes before it's official released. Rock Band has been out for what, 4+ years now?

Just because something happens on another platform doesn't mean the record companies are going to just cave and allow their product on a platform where it's even easier to pirate.

"Cars in this parking lot have been broken into every day for the past year. I'm sure it's perfectly safe to park my car here today".

Yeah, no.

[juninho_farias]

I love playin' Rock Band in my PS2, but I don't have a PS3 or 360; I play in PC. Why'd love to see Rock Band Blitz there, maybe in Steam. I'm sure it will be a success. And it would be better if the game suports the plastic guitar or any joypad (my Rock Band's guitar for PS2/PS3 works in PC as a common joypad). Well, I hope Harmonix read it and think about it. Greetings from Brazil.

[FujiSkunk]

Very unlikely, sorry to say. See... the thread your thread just got merged with, which is to say, this thread.

[Numskull]

I love playin' Rock Band in my PS2, but I don't have a PS3 or 360; I play in PC. Why'd love to see Rock Band Blitz there, maybe in Steam. I'm sure it will be a success.

Sure, if you measure success by the number of people who would download it without paying for it.

[Mashley]

Sure, if you measure success by the number of people who would download it without paying for it. Don't be ridiculous. Jesus, where have you console gamers got these ideas from? PC gaming is huge, piracy is a tiny minority. Piracy is a way bigger issue to the film and music industries than it is to PC gaming and last time I checked that didn't stop films and music being made.

[Cipher_Peon]

Piracy is a way bigger issue to... music industries...
And that's why it seems to be reasonable to not expect Rock Band: Blitz to come to PC. Just combining music piracy with gaming piracy doesn't seem very attractive, to be honest.

[SirDavidTLynch]

Even if they could work out a way to get the massive DLC catalog, it's going to be hard to sell songs that could only be played in Rock Band Blitz for the same $2 as the same songs that can also be played in Rock Band 3 for guitar, bass, drums, vocals, harmonies, keys, and pro keys.

[Numskull]

Don't be ridiculous. Jesus, where have you console gamers got these ideas from?

The same store you get your ideas, but in the "sane" aisle.

Putting aside the issue of piracy, you do realize that there would be no DLC available for a PC version of Rock Band Blitz, right? No, of course you don't. That would have required you to actually, y'know, think about it. Never mind. Silly quesion.

[Tallahassee]

I just registered to these forums to be able to post in this thread saying that I would love to see Blitz coming out for PC (preferably using Steamworks).

I own Rock Band Unplugged for my PSP and I think it`s one of the best games ever made, so I`m very happy to see something similar is being released soon.

[juanisimochiva]

Talkin about psp
R They gonna release RBB for the PlayStation Vita?????

[GNFfhqwhgads]

Talkin about psp
R They gonna release RBB for the PlayStation Vita?????
No.

[juanisimochiva]

Is RBB goin to be avaiable for download at the PlayStation Network???

[juanisimochiva]

which is goin to be the prize of it???
hope is under 50 bucks lol

[juanisimochiva]

which is goin to be the prize of it???
hope is under 50 bucks lol

[GNFfhqwhgads]

Is RBB goin to be avaiable for download at the PlayStation Network???
Maybe go read the announcement.

[MagicMurderBag7]

which is goin to be the prize of it???
hope is under 50 bucks lol

It will be $20 or less.

[itzJV]

Let's be honest here. The only reason any person would want a RB game of any sort on PC is the hack the hell out of it in order to add your own songs in.

And piracy on a PC is obviously a huge issue. You can deny it all you want, but it's been something develops have been sick of when it comes to PC games.

[SheSaidSheSaid]

And piracy on a PC is obviously a huge issue. You can deny it all you want, but it's been something develops have been sick of when it comes to PC games.

Don't be ridiculous.

[LoopyChew]

Don't be ridiculous.

I don't think JV's being all that ridiculous, at least from either a dev or a music label perspective. No matter what the customers think, it has to be okay from their point of view before it can even be presented to us as more than a "we're looking into it."

[SheSaidSheSaid]

I don't think JV's being all that ridiculous, at least from either a dev or a music label perspective. No matter what the customers think, it has to be okay from their point of view before it can even be presented to us as more than a "we're looking into it."

:)


Don't be ridiculous.


Don't be ridiculous.

[ThatAuthoringGroup]

Because on the consoles you usually have to mod your console and do quite a bit of risky things to your hardware to get these pirated tracks to work. On top of that on the 360 if you get caught with pirated stuff on your console your gamertag and entire console gets ban hammered from xbox live forever. Rendering it pretty much useless for a game like Rock Band that uses online to get more content.

On the PC. You just go to a torrent site and download what you want.

It is MUCH riskier to pirate on the consoles and I'd say only a fraction of console users pirate material. I'm not saying that all PC users pirate, but it's vastly simpler (just download compared to modding and the risk of forever getting your hardware banned) on the PC.

[skyp1e]

My father (to my shame) pirates the hell out of things on PC. He's in his 70s. He pirates, movies, music, software and operating systems. I don't think he's paid for anything in over a decade.

I personally wouldn't have a clue how to pirate something off a console without doing some major acrobatics. Pirating software of any stripe off of a PC is as hard to do as a google search.

I mean like someone said earlier in this thread. You can park your car in a garage and yes, it just might get broken into or even stolen. Or you can park your car in the worst neighborhood you can think of with the windows down and the key in the ignition. Your choice.

[LoopyChew]

:)

......*ding!*

[jjthomas]

In searching for a Rock Band like program for my PC, I found 3 in under an hour. All are freeware. So how is Rock Band going to compete with that? Rock Band works fine on the consoles. Why divide their talent up to and increase the development cost to something that may never take off?

-JJ

[GNFfhqwhgads]

So how is Rock Band going to compete with that?
Same way they released a paid app on the same market as the free Tap Tap games?


There's a million and one reasons to not have Rock Band on PC, 'there's already free stuff there' isn't really one of them.

[weirdphil]

You should really question what happened to the Windows Vista version of Rock Band 2 before asking for a PC version of Blitz.

[GNFfhqwhgads]

You should really question what happened to the Windows Vista version of Rock Band 2 before asking for a PC version of Blitz.
It never existed. Done.

[LoopyChew]

It never existed. Done.

Could be wrong, but pretty sure that was sarcasm.

[Santa Claustrophobia]

Could be wrong, but pretty sure that was sarcasm.

Could be wrong, but pretty sure that he was talking about Windows Vista.

[LoopyChew]

Could be wrong, but pretty sure that he was talking about Windows Vista.

Exactly! A joke!

[geo2n2]

I only do RB on the 360, but if they released a Vita version of Blitz and made the PS3 DLC compatible, I would definitely pick up a ton of it.