Select Rock Band Network songs are making a comeback

If you’ve been missing certain Rock Band songs while sifting through your list, you’re not alone.

If you’ve been missing certain Rock Band songs while sifting through your list, you’re not alone.

Rock Band 4 has been devoid of Rock Band Network for far too long, and developer Harmonix is looking to do something about it, much to the delight of Rock Band enthusiasts around the globe. During a recent livestream, Harmonix announced that it would be bringing the Rock Band Network back—though only in the form of select songs. 

The Rock Band Network was a way for the game to help beef up how many songs were available for players without extra cost and development headaches. Rather than having to author and upload tracks themselves, Harmonix let those who created their own content take over the process instead, splitting revenue earned from songs purchased between themselves, Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, and Harmonix. As a result, you’d see music from smaller artists available, or quirkier tunes you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Steam Powered Giraffe and Alien Ant Farm both had options available via the Network, for instance. 

The feature has been missing for quite some time, but it’ll be coming back soon to Rock Band 4. You won’t, however, be able to bring over any old purchases you may have made on the Network. Unfortunately, you’ll have to repurchase songs that you want to play once they’re available. According to Harmonix, having select songs available again came down to either having the songs back period or starting over fresh. 

It remains to be seen how the service will be handled going forward, or which artists will be available. But hopefully it will grow into the relatively large platform it had been before it was taken down. Rock Band is always in need of more songs, and it deserves to live on as gaming’s premiere music title.