As we covered in our previous post, Rock Band 4 had a fantastic showing at E3 this year, with band setups in numerous locations within the expo hall and at parties around LA. This year’s E3 is already being referred to in industry circles as one of the strongest in years, with some exciting new IP games as well as the return of beloved franchises, such as our own Rock Band 4. With the show behind us, the gaming press has begun rolling out nominations, awards, and accolades to the best games shown at the convention. We are honored Rock Band 4 is the recipient of multiple nominations and wins!
Rock Band 4: Behind the Scenes with Freestyle Guitar Solos
Driving many of these accolades is Rock Band 4’s biggest new gameplay innovation: Freestyle Guitar Solos! Unveiled at E3, this feature represents new music gameplay in a category where the core gameplay hasn’t changed in 10 years. It’s a massively fun and exciting step forward for the genre, and is the missing element of the overall Rock Band fantasy which our developers have spent years striving for. We’re thrilled that this feature, along with everything else Rock Band 4 offers, helped elevate the game above the noise and excitement of so many other great games at the show!
Now, before we list out the awards, it’s important to say a few words about what these awards mean to us. Our strategy for Rock Band has always been to make the best game we can, and that’s no different with Rock Band 4. At E3 this year, it was great to get validation from the industry that we are “best-in-class.” What these awards tell us is that we’re on track and have a feature set that is exciting for people. We can’t wait to get this game out in front of you all and to continue to develop new features and content over the long term through our live service. We’re excited about where we are, and also excited about where we’re going. So, with all that said, here are a few of the wonderfully kind things that people had to say about us at E3:
Rock Band 4 has currently won a total of 7 awards from E3, including Best Music Game from both IGN and Game Informer, as well as Editor’s Choice from Polygon! Here’s our full list:
Rock Band 4 is an evolution, not a reinvention. As far as I can tell, it's mostly everything I liked about the franchise, plus a killer new feature and sturdier instruments. – Dave Tach, Editor
I loved mashing these techniques together to create strong, believable solos for songs I know intimately. It surprised me how much I enjoyed actually listening to these solos when I expected to hear something familiar.” – Mitch Dyer, Editor
Rock Band 4 has been named Editor’s Choice by Polygon!
Additional to the awards the game received, we were nominated for multiple awards during the entire E3 week. Here’s a recap of the nominations for Rock Band 4:
Our nomination for Best in Show from Game Informer! Rock Band 4 is the winner of Best Music Game!
Our Rock Band 4 nomination for Best of E3 from Game Critics Award!
We can’t say it enough, but we are incredibly grateful for the time people spent with Rock Band 4 at E3. Seeing seasoned press veterans leaving our behind closed doors demos with big smiles on their faces makes it all worth it. The Rock Band team is pouring their hearts and souls into the game, so receiving this sort of recognition means a lot to everyone here at Harmonix.
We’ve said it before and will say it again – please preorder this game! Our preorder campaign is really important as we are using preorders to determine manufacturing. So, don’t be left out of the fun once October 6th comes around! Check out our Pre-Order page for guaranteed hardware on launch day!
The Harmonix team at E3 with our nominations for Rock Band 4!