Harmonix has announced that its long-running rhythm game Rock Band 4 is officially going to get de-listed from PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store on October 5, according to Gematsu. The studio noted that the date coincides with the tenth birthday of Rock Band 4, which also marks the end of the licenses for the core soundtrack of the title.
Rock Band 4, which was originally released on PS4 and Xbox One all the way back in October 2015, will still remain available to those that already own the title. However, the only way new players will be able to get their hands on the title will be through physical copies, which are likely quite rare at this point since the gaming market has turned to digital distribution in a major way.
Along with the game itself, DLC will also continue to be available to players that have previously bought it. As time keeps moving along, more and more DLC that was previously released for Rock Band 4 will also start getting de-listed owing to the licenses expiring. This also means that, with the passage of time, players won’t be able to get their hands on older DLC for the title, likely making them miss out on many song collections.
“We’re so grateful for the passion this community has shown,” said Harmonix in its announcement. “From the team, it’s been a special experience to serve you with Rivals challenges, a super deep downloadable content library and a best in class band sim. If you’ve been meaning to grab a few last songs, now’s the time. Thanks again.”
Interestingly, while Rock Band 4 has been around for a decade at this point, it never really got upgraded to special PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions. Rather, the title still remains dependent on the backwards-compatibility of both consoles to remain playable. This also means that, for players that picked up physical copies of the title, a disc-based SKU of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S would be mandatory in order to play it.
While Rock Band 4 featured the same classic rhythm-based gameplay with plastic peripherals that made the title famous with the 2007 release of the first game on PS3 and Xbox 360, it also brought with it plenty of new features. Chief among these features was the addition of Freestyle modes that allowed players to go into quick freestyle solos.
The title has also seen the release of several DLCs featuring new music over the years, with the first one arriving shortly after its release. It even eventually got online multiplayer, which was a major change for the franchise since it was traditionally known for its strong offerings in the local multiplayer space thanks to its use of peripherals.
While Harmonix has worked on several other projects since the release of Rock Band 4, 2021 saw the studio getting acquired by Epic Games. The company noted at the time that Harmonix would tap into its experience with working on music in games to “develop musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite.”
