5-page interview with Alex Rigopulos

[Symphonite]

http://www.oxmonline.com/article/features/presses/rock-bands-alex-rigopulos-oxm-interview

It's worth a read.

[Jack_Harvard]

Sha-weet! Thanks for the heads-up!

Edit: Okay. Holy crap. I just read this:

"We have some top secret nuclear scientists working on wireless percussion peripherals that may or may not exist at this moment in time."

I would sell my third arm for a wireless drum kit, no matter how extraneous such a thing may be.

Edit 2--Electric Boogaloo: Also, for Metallica fans aching for "Enter Sandman" action, the screenshot on the second page is from that song.

[ThePaska]

Awesome, thanks for the heads up, I think this might have been posted before, but I never got a chance to read it. I'll be reading it now, editing with anything I find of interest.


"In 3 to 5 years people are going to expect to be able to play with music as the normal way that they experience music that they love. If you have a favorite band that releases a new album, sure you?ll buy the CD but you?ll also want to go onto the Rock Band server the game levels based on those 15 new songs to experience them as an active participant in the music-making."

IF DLC ever ends up really being like this, that would be simply amazing. I hope it does to some extent. Hopefully we can play Rock Band for years to come, and with an almost limitless supply of DLC!

"That said, we have insanely ambitious plans in this area and we do plan to get literally hundreds of songs in the first year alone, expanding to what I hope is thousands of songs in the years that follow."

AMAZING, if we see upwards of 1000 DLC songs, I would be ecstatic! Rock Band could very well be the last game I ever play!

"One possibility that we?re actually considering is releasing our own authoring tools out freely into the world, such that if you?re a band and you and your three friends are in your bedroom or garage making music, and no major label will even give you the time of day but you believe in your music, you can actually produce a game level yourself and send it to us for publishing on the game servers or distributing to your friends. So that?s a possibility, user generated game content, this could explode the productive capacity of content for the platform."

That's is awesome! So basically you could submit your own music to them, and they would produce the levels for you!

"figurines based upon your Rock Band avatars, t-shirts with your fake band?s album art and your tour dates on the back from your accomplishments within the game, bumper stickers, old records, things like that. Really cool real-world merchandise based on this fictitious band that you?ve created in the game."

So much amazing things happening with Rock Band. T-shirts and Action Figures based on your own created characters from the game, as well as fictitious albums and tour dates? AMAZING!



All in all, a simply amazing read, awesome stuff in there to look forward to. From the community aspects to the DLC. The future of Rock Band looks good, even before it has even been released. I have never been more excited for a game!

[Eman311]

One possibility that we?re actually considering is releasing our own authoring tools out freely into the world, such that if you?re a band and you and your three friends are in your bedroom or garage making music, and no major label will even give you the time of day but you believe in your music, you can actually produce a game level yourself and send it to us for publishing on the game servers or distributing to your friends. So that?s a possibility, user generated game content, this could explode the productive capacity of content for the platform.
:eek:!!!!!!!

[Apples]

My blog commentary remains spot on... Alex is a cool cat.

He has some chops on the drums too.

[sushi111]

NIce find, it was an intresting read.

[scarecrow521]

"So all of that stuff, we?re going to be able to export to your web pages, and from there you?ll be able to take your band avatars, pose them, create album covers with your band logo and different scenes with your avatars. And then you?ll be able to turn that into real world stuff. For example, figurines based upon your Rock Band avatars, t-shirts with your fake band?s album art and your tour dates on the back from your accomplishments within the game, bumper stickers, old records, things like that. Really cool real-world merchandise based on this fictitious band that you?ve created in the game."

...Oh my god.

[espher]

Great read.

[MastodonRocks]

...Oh my god.

I know! That's the thing that really caught my attention in the article. Real world t-shirts that you can buy!! I would buy that in a heartbeat.

[Apples]

" from there you?ll be able to take your band avatars, pose them, create album covers with your band logo and different scenes with your avatars. And then you?ll be able to turn that into real world stuff. For example, figurines based upon your Rock Band avatars, t-shirts with your fake band?s album art and your tour dates on the back from your accomplishments within the game, bumper stickers, old records, things like that. Really cool real-world merchandise based on this fictitious band that you?ve created in the game."


GI Joe beware... And by the way I'm already forming RBA (Rock Band Anonymous) for all us fools who are going to be crazy addicted and spend every last cent on this stuff.

My name is Apples, and I'm a rock-a-haulic.

[Jack_Harvard]

I can't wait to buy my very own RB avatar figurine. I mean, literally can't wait. This is by far the best interview about the game yet. Very nice! :D :D :D

[peachpunker63]

did you see that picture on i think the last page. it shows you can put text onto your guitars becuase the guitar says OXM. also in that picture does it look like its from single player mode? they also said they will have several videos on there site tomorrow! Cant wait

[MartyMcFly]

Absolutely amazing. This is everything I dreamed it would be!

I knew I'd be playing this game for a few years, but the way it sounds, it could even be 5+ years.

It's own type of platform? This could be a game that could constantly have new tracks for DLC, new updates, patches, addons, hell even game modes added on in the future.

They start with this as a platform, and just continue to build on it. There will be no need for a Rock Band 2 or even Rock Band 8 for that matter. There can only be one.....Rock Band!

[King_Nuthin]

Great interview. I do think this bit about DLC may mean we shouldn't expect prices more agressive than Guitar Hero as clearly they aren't expecting everyone to buy everything:

Absolutely, and I think that part of that just comes from the history of DLC in the video game universe. Usually it?s like you have a game like Battlefield and maybe there?s two or three or four expansion maps that are released through DLC for that and it?s expected that ?If I?m a Battlefield player, I?m supposed to buy all of the DLC that?s made available for it.? When you?re talking about hundreds or eventually thousands of pieces of DLC, there?s no expectation that any one Rock Band player is going to buy all 300 game levels that are made available. It?s that he or she is going to choose the subset of that, that?s the music they feel the most passionately about and that?s the music he or she is going to buy for the game. It?s really a departure for the norms and expectations of DLC in the video game world because it?s really more like a music entertainment platform then a game platform.

[dlisapussy]

"That said, we have insanely ambitious plans in this area and we do plan to get literally hundreds of songs in the first year alone, expanding to what I hope is thousands of songs in the years that follow."

AMAZING, if we see upwards of 1000 DLC songs, I would be ecstatic! Rock Band could very well be the last game I ever play!




I hoped DLC would turn out like this. That's just amazing. This makes me wonder though, does DLC take up space on the Xbox/PS3/PS2 or the game? If it goes to the xbox/ps, we might see some problems

-<I>Well, with respect to your first question I don't really think any artist is off the table.</I>

Bam!

Dude, this whole interview makes GH like nothing. I was anticipating this game a lot, but now I'm like
Going crazy!!!!

[MartyMcFly]

I hoped DLC would turn out like this. That's just amazing. This makes me wonder though, does DLC take up space on the Xbox/PS3/PS2 or the game? If it goes to the xbox/ps, we might see some problems

They keep talking about the "Rock Band Server" so I don't believe it will be through Xbox/Ps, but you access the Rock Band server through your console. I predict it to have it's own menus and UI's and such.

[Jack_Harvard]

I hoped DLC would turn out like this. That's just amazing. This makes me wonder though, does DLC take up space on the Xbox/PS3/PS2 or the game? If it goes to the xbox/ps, we might see some problems

Well, it would be impossible to write the data onto a disc, but it does save to your hard drive. If you run out of space, though, I'm pretty sure you can use external memory. I know you can for PS3.

Also, I might be wrong, but I don't think PS2 gets DLC.

[jq71586]

I hoped DLC would turn out like this. That's just amazing. This makes me wonder though, does DLC take up space on the Xbox/PS3/PS2 or the game? If it goes to the xbox/ps, we might see some problems

I was thinking this too.

Thats why with the confirmed announcement that DivX will be coming to the PS3 very soon and all this DLC that I want to buy I'm going to invest in an external 500GB drive. Even if I attach it on my PS3 and screw something up messing with hard drives doesn't void the Sony Playstation warranty.

Me happy :D

[Keebler]

Figurines and T-shirts based on our Rock Band band?

I'm ALL OVER THAT. :eek:

[toefer]

I knew I'd be playing this game for a few years, but the way it sounds, it could even be 5+ years.

That's it? I'm going to play this game forever.

I'll set it up outdoors, and when I spot my future wife coming walking down the sidewalk, I'll boot up "Pretty Woman" (we could all use some Roy Orbison DLC).

At my wedding, my first dance will be to "Faithfully" (because I'm 100% sure by then, there'll be a plethora of Journey DLC).

Then when I take my wife back up into the master suite, I'll play a little "Good Vibrations" (Beach Boys will be DLC too, whether you like it or not) to get the mood going.

8 months later, when my wife has a 20 pound lump pushing out of her stomach, I'll be sleeping on the couch playing "Satisfaction" in between taking naps (Rolling Stones DLC is a given).

A few weeks later, my son pops out of the womb, and I celebrate by bringing RB to the hospital, and playing some "Sweet Child O' Mine" in the waiting room (who says old songs can't be re-used?).

Fast forward 100 years later, and when I finally kick the bucket at 123, I'll have my great-great-grandson play some "Break On Through" at my funeral (because RB can't be super awesome without some Jimmy Morrison).

Rock Band will last a lifetime.

[HPLabonte]

it's like... it's not just a game anymore, maaan.........

[iNiGhTmAr3]

it's like... it's not just a game anymore, maaan.........

IT'S LIFE!







:eek:

[fried_blowney]

That's it? I'm going to play this game forever.

I'll set it up outdoors, and when I spot my future wife coming walking down the sidewalk, I'll boot up "Pretty Woman" (we could all use some Roy Orbison DLC).

At my wedding, my first dance will be to "Faithfully" (because I'm 100% sure by then, there'll be a plethora of Journey DLC).

Then when I take my wife back up into the master suite, I'll play a little "Good Vibrations" (Beach Boys will be DLC too, whether you like it or not) to get the mood going.

8 months later, when my wife has a 20 pound lump pushing out of her stomach, I'll be sleeping on the couch playing "Satisfaction" in between taking naps (Rolling Stones DLC is a given).

A few weeks later, my son pops out of the womb, and I celebrate by bringing RB to the hospital, and playing some "Sweet Child O' Mine" in the waiting room (who says old songs can't be re-used?).

Fast forward 100 years later, and when I finally kick the bucket at 123, I'll have my great-great-grandson play some "Break On Through" at my funeral (because RB can't be super awesome without some Jimmy Morrison).

Rock Band will last a lifetime.

That entire post made me lol. Well done.

[dlisapussy]

I'll tell you what it is...







It's banging! It's also quite groundbreaking, earth-shattering, and mind-boggling if you will.

[Jack_Harvard]

IT'S LIFE!







:eek:

ROCK BAND IS PEOPLE!!!

...Soylent Green?



...anyone?...:o

[dlisapussy]

Rock Band will last a lifetime.

In my eyes, it's like the new karaoke machine, yet sooo much more.

[dlisapussy]

ROCK BAND IS PEOPLE!!!

...Soylent Green?



...anyone?...:o

don't worry i know all about the soylent green




SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLEEEE!





This is by far the best thread ever.

[Jack_Harvard]

don't worry i know all about the soylent green




SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLEEEE!





This is by far the best thread ever.

1. *Phew* I thought my nerd flag was overexposed there for a moment.

2. This IS the best thread ever. So far, it has managed to not be tarnished by people looking for a fight, and it's just full of pure Rock Band Lovin'!

[dlisapussy]

1.)Haha, that movie kicked ass. Well, not really...

2.)We should close the thread now before it starts it's downfall.

Hell I don't even care, we ought to start ignoring those people anyway. There really is no reason to complain anymore.

[blue_dragonzero]

Awesome article.

By the way, does anyone have some furniture I can borrow?

[Bakkster]

Great interview. I do think this bit about DLC may mean we shouldn't expect prices more agressive than Guitar Hero as clearly they aren't expecting everyone to buy everything:

I think it's pointed more at the idea of 1000 DLC songs. Even at $0.89 per song (same as an MP3 on Amazon) that's still $890! I think people aren't going to buy every song, no matter what the price. Just like they said, you're not going to want every song (not many people are fans of Grateful Dead, David Bowie, the Police, and Queens of the Stone Age...). For example, I'm not going to buy Metallica, because I don't like them.

[dlisapussy]

I think it's pointed more at the idea of 1000 DLC songs. Even at $0.89 per song (same as an MP3 on Amazon) that's still $890! I think people aren't going to buy every song, no matter what the price. Just like they said, you're not going to want every song (not many people are fans of Grateful Dead, David Bowie, the Police, and Queens of the Stone Age...). For example, I'm not going to buy Metallica, because I don't like them.

Agreed. Most people aren't going to want every single song. Alex said <I>upwards</I> of 1000 songs. Your going to be paying more than $890 if you buy every single song.


And please, don't go crazy because Bakkster said he doesn't like Metallica. It has nothing to do with this. He has his reasons I'm sure. I just hate to see other people criticizing someones taste. I hated it before this forum, and I hate it even more now.

[HeXcoda]

*reads article*

*checks bank account*

*goes to Amazon.com to get a 120gb XB360 HD*

Be prepared, the Boy Scouts say...

That crappy little 12gb (since 8 megs of it gets filled with system files) HD is not gonna cut it here. I've already had to delete various demos and videos I wanted to hang onto just to make room for other arcade games, DLC, etc... time to move on up to the east side to a deluxe apartment in the sky, I say.

Now, I can get Nevermind and anything that comes later without worry. Bring it on!

[AdamBomb629]

*reads article*

*checks bank account*

*goes to Amazon.com to get a 120gb XB360 HD*

Be prepared, the Boy Scouts say...

That crappy little 12gb (since 8 megs of it gets filled with system files) HD is not gonna cut it here. I've already had to delete various demos and videos I wanted to hang onto just to make room for other arcade games, DLC, etc... time to move on up to the east side to a deluxe apartment in the sky, I say.

Now, I can get Nevermind and anything that comes later without worry. Bring it on!

I should be ok. I never buy ANY video content of the marketplace, so I find it hard to believe I'll fill GB of space with save games and DLC.

[MdubMedia]

This thread is making me even more excited, which I didn't think was possible. Wow. I am just....excited...crazy excited.

Too bad my wife is too busy watching "The Hills" to care all the news I'm sharing with her :(

Thanks for being there for me community.rockband.com/vbforums :D

[Xzyliac]

It's not that I'm speechless. I just don't think I'm worthy.

There is a god.

[MaineDrummer]

Real world stuff based on OUR bands??? Simply amazing.

How is it possible to get more excited for this every day??

[dlisapussy]

It's not that I'm speechless. I just don't think I'm worthy.

There is a god.

Yea,
Its name is Rockband...
or Harmonix.

[dlisapussy]

Real world stuff based on OUR bands??? Simply amazing.

How is it possible to get more excited for this every day??

5 page interviews.

they should have these more often.

[masterx1918]

Real world stuff based on OUR bands??? Simply amazing.

How is it possible to get more excited for this every day??
how about an announcement by Game Spy that's so secretive that not even Harmonix is going to announce it?

[mobhit101]

wow... just wow....

I can't believe we have LESS THAN A WEEK before we're all rockin' out! Awesome article.

[TheTogfather]

Great article. I know he's Mr. HMX and all and really needs to project that enthusiasm and confidence any time he's giving an interview, but man, you can just tell how excited he is about this game any time he opens his mouth. I do fear these many, many opportunities they will be presenting me to spend my money.

[MundaneSoul]

I do fear these many, many opportunities they will be presenting me to spend my money.

Preach it brother.

News headlines in early '09:

The number of homeless in the U.S. has quadrupled. It should be noted that three out of every four of these new homeless own Rock Band and continue to play it using a small generator near their cardboard box. Listen closely and you can hear them whispering their shared mantra of "D, L, C...D, L, C..." Tonight the streets will be littered with beggars whose change will be used to fuel their sick addiction.

:D

[Comedian]

I agree, excellent article. Harmonix's goals for the game is exactly what I get out of games like this - the fun and appreciation for experiencing the music I love in a much more active way. Rock Band is Joy In a Box as far as I'm concerned.

There will be a Rock Band 2, though. (and 3 and so on). There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that you make improvements to the game engine itself - better performance, new features, etc. - and you want to get that out to the user base. The second is that having a new product gets you more publicity. If next year they are just continuing to put out tons of great DLC, that news seems old to the gaming community at large. But if there is a Rock Band 2 coming out, then they can get previews, reviews, covers on game magazines, etc. Not to mention the simple shelf presence of the product at the local store.

My one concern here, as I look at the hundreds of dollars I may be spending on DLC for Rock Band, is will the songs I purchase work in the next game? I'm going on the assumption that they are in a standard format that will be useable in the future. At least until another instrument is added, and additional tracks are needed to support this.

Don't get me wrong - even if they are just useable in Rock Band 1 I'll be quite happy. I still play Guitar Hero 1 when I feel like a little Sharp Dressed Man, after all. But knowing that they are future-proofing the DLC would make me even happier. I don't want to get to a point where I feel torn to purchase all the same songs again for the next game, just because of incremental improvements.

[Jack_Harvard]

News headlines in early '09:

The number of homeless in the U.S. has quadrupled. It should be noted that three out of every four of these new homeless own Rock Band and continue to play it using a small generator near their cardboard box. Listen closely and you can hear them whispering their shared mantra of "D, L, C...D, L, C..." Tonight the streets will be littered with beggars whose change will be used to fuel their sick addiction.


"The flickering lights cast by their televisions illuminate the words written across the enormous cardboard boxes, words that ultimately spell their street urchin doom...

'ROCK BAND

From the creators of GUITAR HERO'"

[HeXcoda]

My one concern here, as I look at the hundreds of dollars I may be spending on DLC for Rock Band, is will the songs I purchase work in the next game? I'm going on the assumption that they are in a standard format that will be useable in the future.

A valid concern, especially since none of the GH2 DLC works with GH3...

I'm hoping since they keep comparing to iTunes and calling it a "platform" that the inevitable sequel will be back-compat with the old content. It all comes down to technical features, and licensing.

The tech side is actually easy. If new features are introduced (new instruments, for instance) you don't have to update the old songs, just omit that feature when playing a legacy song.

It's the licensing side that's a bit dodgy. Would the RIAA demand more cash for having their songs usable in a "new game"? If so, they may cut it off and we're forced to play with one disc or another in the drive.

And as for "They never need to make a sequel, ever, because it's a PLATFORM!" that's just wishful thinking. Look at the iPod/iTunes platform -- songs you buy for it play on any iPod, but they still come out with a new one every year! You have to have new and updated boxed content on shelves regularly or they drop support for your old content. Since the instruments need to be kept in the forefront that means RB2 is going to happen. Look at it this way, you'll get new features, new venues, new creation bits, and 45 new songs for one retail unit of price ($60) since you already own the instruments... that's a sweet deal.

[TheTogfather]

This is all true, that the need for a retail presence is going to be necessary, but it doesn't have to come in form of a new game. They could always release newer versions of the controllers, plus they've already talked about mic stands and things like that. I don't doubt that there will be a RB2 at some point, but I do think that it's going to be a bit further off than we'd expect for your average developer. Not only because of their 'Rock Band as a platform' beliefs, but also because Harmonix will want to make sure that the next version of Rock Band contains absolutely essential feature upgrades and such that will warrant the purchase of a new game. I really don't see them just randomly throwing together a new game just to get on shelves and add to the song catalog. With the way they've been talking about this game, they will take their time, and do a sequel right...

[Oblong]

That article was so good I read it twice.

Hope we can get a continuous stream of info like that until release to help with the waiting cramps.

[darkhorse09]

"My name is Apples, and I'm a rock-a-haulic.

Hi Apples! (sorry, someone had to do it!)

[mxmarks]

If I can actual buy an action figure of myself rocking on the guitar, I will die.

Also - if I am able to have my bands record framed on my bedroom wall next to Ziggy Stardust, Dead Letter Office and Zenyatta Mondatta, I will die...again!

[nicko68]

That was a very interesting read, and ambitious plans.

This may be a dumb idea, but the article got me to thinking... Rock Band wants to be a *platform*. Unfortunately they are a platform on top of 3 other platforms (360, PS3, PS2). I wonder if they would have been better off creating (or getting a hardware company to create) a dedicated Rock Band machine (kiinda like a karaoke machine that was alluded to earlier in this thread). Because if Rock Band wants to be a platform that lasts for years, what happens when the 360/PS3/PS2 etc die? Do they expect the users to buy all new instruments and game when they upgrade? Of course that's good for HMX, not so good for the consumer.

However, I think more people are inclined to buy RB as a console game instead of as a standalone machine (how many people have karaoke machines?)

I just wonder if it would be an advantage for HMX to not be bound to the different consoles, having their own dedicated hardware platform to support their software platform.

[admanimal]

I don't think that's a bad idea at all. I basically bought a 360 solely to play Rock Band (the only other games I have are GH2 & 3). If there was a "Rock Band Machine" I could have bought instead, I would have just kept my PS2 and got that.

Of course another problem with a Rock Band Machine is that Harmonix would basically have to set up their own version of Xbox Live, which would be a giant extra load of work.

[Bakkster]

Of course another problem with a Rock Band Machine is that Harmonix would basically have to set up their own version of Xbox Live, which would be a giant extra load of work.

As well as more hardware, which is even more work.