With the recent launch of the new video game crowdfunding platform, Harmonix is bringing something unique to the table. You told us how much you want Rock Band to make its way to the PC community of gamers, and now is your chance to support this request! We launch our Fig campaign today to bring Rock Band 4 to PC!

ROCK BAND 4 FOR PC – THE ALL-NEW FIG CAMPAIGN!

“Why PC now?” might be the question running through your mind. Well, sound human, we kicked off the plan to bring Rock Band 4 to PC soon after the console version launched. We spent months carefully scoping this project to create a game we think will satisfy everyone. We will crowdfund this project to help us gauge interest in the product and make the development a collaborative effort between players and Harmonix. When we initially developed Rock Band 4 for consoles in 2015, we wanted to focus our resources on the core console experience that Rock Band fans have always enjoyed. Now that the game is out and continuing to expand and improve with monthly updates, we knew the time was right to fire up our Fig campaign and start rocking on an entirely new platform.

Steam is a widely adopted and accepted digital distribution channel that allows us, as a developer, to bring our products directly to players. On top of that, we can now offer Steam Workshop features to content creators of beatmatch gaming– do you know where I’m going with this?

LET’S BRING BACK THE ROCK BAND NETWORK!

After an almost five-year hiatus, the Rock Band Network could return to the Rock Band community via Steam Workshop. Rhythm gaming authors and gamers alike will remember the content-creating community that appeared around RBN for Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3. It was fun, it was magical, it was committed, and it was incredibly productive; RBN released over 2,000 songs. Best of all, it was filled with songs that couldn’t be had anywhere else.

The ability to allow anyone to bring their original content to Rock Band was terrific! And now, if our Fig campaign is successful, we’ll let the Rock Band community create content for themselves all over again. Most song authors work off computers to create original gameplay, and we have the luxury of making the most out of the Steam Workshop for the creative community. Even if you’re new to the content creation scene, the Rock Band Network for Steam Workshop will have something everyone can get on board with.

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE THE ROCK IS

Like any successful crowdfunding campaign, Harmonix is courteously asking you to back our development and bring Rock Band to your PC later this year. We’ve got some tempting Fig backer rewards also to sweeten the deal! Rewards include:

• A digital copy of another Harmonix Steam title, A City Sleeps!
• A Rock Band swag pack – includes a guitar pick, drumsticks, notepad and pen, sticker, temporary tattoo, fabric patch, and mousepad!
• A live chat with Rock Band developers from Harmonix!
• Exclusive VIP access to our Harmonix party during PAX East right here in Boston!
• A studio tour of Harmonix, complete with lunch and a private (or public) play session with the development team!
• Original concept art created just for you!
• A signed Rock Band 4 guitar, courtesy of the developers at Harmonix!
• Dinner with Alex Rigopulos, co-founder of Harmonix, or Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine!
• An in-game character model of YOU!
• Your song, charted and completed by Harmonix, will be included as free DLC for Rock Band on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation®4!

THE FINER DETAILS

As an indie studio, Harmonix must seek funding for projects. Back in the Rock Band heyday, Harmonix was owned by media giant Viacom and distributed by game publishing giant Electronic Arts. You might not know that Harmonix spun back out of Viacom a few years ago and went completely independent. Releasing Rock Band for the Xbox One and PlayStation®4 was a massive undertaking for us as an indie studio. With crowdfunding quickly becoming a popular and influential alternative to publisher deals, we can choose services like Fig to help make our ambitions a reality and provide quality content to the folks who want it most.

So what does this mean for Rock Band 4 on the console? It should have almost no effect on our team’s development. We’re partnering with Sumo Digital, a well-known and respected external developer, which allows the folks at Harmonix to keep the core Rock Band team dedicated to developing new features and content for both consoles and PC. The engine team here at Harmonix will support Sumo by upgrading the Rock Band Network tools to work with Rock Band 4 for PC; Harmonix’s content and feature teams will be largely unaffected.

Rock Band 4 for PC will have updates released in parity with its console siblings – everything new, fun, and exciting that makes its way to the console will also be on this new PC platform. The only distinct difference across platforms is the Rock Band Network, which will be an exclusive feature of Rock Band 4 on PC. That, and the ability to navigate using your computer keyboard and mouse!

TL;DR

While you can click on that awesome, we’re here to recap all of the awesomeness that’s (potentially) coming to PC. If you don’t want to read all of that, here are the heavy-hitting bullet points you need to know:

• Rock Band 4 for PC will bring the return of the Rock Band Network – custom content creation by the community, for the community!
• Rock Band 4 for PC will launch with the same updates that consoles have, and it will stay up-to-date, receiving future updates simultaneously!
• Supporting Harmonix through this Fig campaign can earn you significant rewards, including a signed Rock Band 4 guitar, a studio tour, and dinner with Harmonix’s co-founder, Alex Rigopulos!
• Rock Band 4 for PC WILL NOT HAPPEN without YOUR help and support! Want to get all these great features on a PC near you? We’re asking for your help to make this a reality!

THANK YOU, AND HAPPY BACKING!