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The IGN First Coverage of Rock Band 4

Hey guys! Rock Band 4 has gotten a lot of love in the past month thanks to IGN and their daily coverage of new features and updates about the new game. Here’s our wrap-up of some new and awesome Rock Band 4 information that you don’t want to miss.


Rock Band 4 May Be the Last Music Game You’ll Ever Need


The title says it all! IGN kicked off their coverage of Rock Band 4 with this article, packed with new information about some awesome features in the game. As the article emphasizes, we’re doing everything we can to make Rock Band 4 personal, inclusive, and fun. Everyone should get a chance to rock out in their own way, and with the new tools we’ve made for in-game expression, players can aspire to be their OWN rock legend.


Here are some of the new features we’ve got in the game!


  1. Freestyle Vocals = We’ve taken a step beyond vocal harmonies (which will STILL be in the game!) with some gameplay innovations that give the vocalist more creative freedom during songs. Check out this article for all of the news on Freestyle Vocals!
  2. The All-New Campaign: Rock Band 4 is taking a page from the Rock Band 2 era and fleshing out a brand new Campaign Mode. Dynamic choices will affect you and your band as you play through the progression – will you catch your big break, crash and burn, or become an underground sensation? IGN has the first early details about the Rock Band 4 campaign right here.
  3. Shows: We’ve made the tedious task of choosing what song to play next MUCH easier with the implementation of Shows, a feature which allows for band members to collaboratively choose what songs to play in a set on the fly! Each member of the band has the opportunity to vote on the next songs they want to perform within gameplay, instead of backing out and searching through the extensive catalog in the song library. It’s a great way to keep the momentum of a party going! This article tells you all about how you can get the most from the full band experience.


"Hail to the King" performed in Rock Band 4


IGN has been amazing at keeping everyone up to date with the latest features announcements, and they’ve also done a fantastic job at providing insight into the creation of Rock Band 4. Our developers work tirelessly to create all of the new features mentioned above, but what does it actually take to make a game like Rock Band? Here’s some insight into the life of Rock Band development:


  1. How A Rock Band Song Gets Made: Ever wonder what it’s like to take a rockin’ hit track and transform it into playable material in Rock Band? Now’s your chance to find out! Members of the QA and song authoring team at Harmonix give you a crash course with this IGN video.
  2. Rock Band 4’s New Instruments: Our co-publishers and friends over at Mad Catz are continuing to innovate and create new ways to rock out with the Rock Band instruments. Alex Verrey of Mad Catz takes IGN through the improvements in hardware for the next generation of rockers everywhere.
  3. Why Rock Band 4’s Next-Gen Tech Matters: We have switched over to a new, more powerful engine to create our newest addition to the series. Because of this transition, we are able to make a more realistic, smoother, and detailed gameplay experience in Rock Band 4.


The First Ever Rock Band 4 Gameplay Reveal


IGN debuted the first public demo of Rock Band 4 and showed the new game to the world on Friday, May 15th. Harmonix-ers Eric Pope and Nick Chester were on the livestream to talk about all of the awesome new features we have in the new game while members of IGN played through the first six songs that have been announced. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that we announced some songs as well?


Watch the first public reveal of Rock Band 4 right here!


Check out the first 6 songs announced for Rock Band 4:

  1. Avenged Sevenfold – "Hail to the King"
  2. Fleetwood Mac – "You Make Loving Fun"
  3. Jack White – "Lazaretto"
  4. The Killers – "Somebody Told Me"
  5. Spin Doctors – "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"
  6. The Who – "The Seeker"


"Hail to the King" performed in Rock Band 4


We want to give a big shout out to Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan), Mitch Dyer (@MitchyD), and all of IGN for their time and effort putting these articles together for the month of May. Here’s one of our favorite quotes from these articles covering Rock Band 4, written by IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey:

“That the developers themselves want Rock Band back for the same reason I do – and are just as excited about it – comforts, reassures, and energizes me. This is a studio intimately familiar with the feelings of synergy, empowerment, and joy that stem from playing live music with and in front of other people – they were founded in 1995 and many of their employees still play in active, touring bands. And as anyone who has been to a great rock concert knows, when the group puts that much enthusiasm into the performance, the result is a show you’ll probably never forget.”


Don’t forget to sign up to be notified when Rock Band 4 Pre-Orders go live and be prepared for some MAJOR Rock Band 4 announcements during the week of E3 (June 15th)!