In the latest issue of Edge Magazine, Harmonix head Alex Rigopulos and Neversoft project director Brian Bright both speak out regarding the current state of rhythm-music gaming. As you might imagine, neither developer thinks that the genre is flatlining. In fact, Rigopulos even believes that "future music games will exceed the sales success of the last generation."
Surprisingly, though, while each heads up their own approach to the genre, the two seem to be in near-direct agreement on the next step for their franchises. "User-generated content will be absolutely critical to the ongoing success of the genre, I think," Rigopulos says. Bright echoes his statement, saying, "I think user-created content is key to the evolution ... if you can't create or edit licensed music due to copyright laws, then you're limited to pretending to play someone else's music."
That said, each developer differs in their definition of exactly what that "user-created content" will be. In the case of Rigopulos, he believes the Rock Band Network and its potentially "huge community of power-users -- skilled music creators" will be his company's next "defining moment." Bright is less sure of a plan, simply stating, "I think the key is to create music, but make it compelling to create, so the game is in the creation."
Reader Comments (53)
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:17AM Def Zeppelin said
I don't recall ever paying $3 for a song I HAVE heard of.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 4:23PM SimplerUser said
... http://osu.ppy.sh/
There was an article on here about this map a while ago http://osu.ppy.sh/s/5381
And there is an iPhone version http://osu.ppy.sh/p/iphone
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There was an article on here about this map a while ago http://osu.ppy.sh/s/5381
And there is an iPhone version http://osu.ppy.sh/p/iphone
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:15AM PlatinumSkeet said
Dude I think they can slow down on the releases and just do content updates. You don't need a whole new game for what could be a $20 DLC. Especially when most people have the instruments and just want new songs.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:11AM (Unverified) said
Actually, in Guitar Hero's case, I believe FEWER RELEASES are the key.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:12AM GewurztraminerX said
Ah, the open 12 Pack. The most essential of Rock Band accesories.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:24PM The Blank Mage Returns said
I find that my ability to play guitar hero is NOT bolstered by alcohol..
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 1:45PM GewurztraminerX said
That's your body's way of saying it's time to switch to bass
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:20AM (Unverified) said
MMMMM I love Rickards, good to see someone that plays rock band also has a good taste in beer.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:34AM dreganfyre said
Agreed... But I sorely miss their Pale... this White stuff is no good :(
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:19AM Jack Tretton said
I know I've been yearning to play a bunch of shitty garage bands' songs and pay for the privilege.
I don't think the genre has peaked, but I think the popularity of GH and RB has.
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I don't think the genre has peaked, but I think the popularity of GH and RB has.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:44AM wcarnation said
I don't know, Nirvana songs are planned to be used on this. It's pretty much a way for "everyone else" to get in on the action, bands (or specific releases) that might be overlooked for consideration/inclusion just because they aren't in that upper upper crust of popularity to take up the limited space Harmonix provides their weekly DLC.
There's quite a lot of bands I like that are not wholly mainstream successes, but have quite a many great songs that could be fun to play, and this would be their method to get in there.
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There's quite a lot of bands I like that are not wholly mainstream successes, but have quite a many great songs that could be fun to play, and this would be their method to get in there.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:42AM wcarnation said
I only agree in the sense this is the only new avenue people have been able to find, that isn't just re-treading old ground.
But I can't see a game like Rock Band 3 not being 'after the peak'.
At the same time, considering the Rock Band Network is virtually limited to entirely one console platform, I can't see where the hell they're going with this.
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But I can't see a game like Rock Band 3 not being 'after the peak'.
At the same time, considering the Rock Band Network is virtually limited to entirely one console platform, I can't see where the hell they're going with this.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:46AM benheck said
I would agree it peaked, and back in 2007 actually. Maybe 2008 if I've being generous.
While making tracks for RB is awesome, keep in mind there's a) a learning curve b) XNA involved c) XNA licensing fees, $100/year I believe, like the Community Games.
It is actually a lot more likely that big bands, or bigger fringe ones, will use this rather than garage bands.
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While making tracks for RB is awesome, keep in mind there's a) a learning curve b) XNA involved c) XNA licensing fees, $100/year I believe, like the Community Games.
It is actually a lot more likely that big bands, or bigger fringe ones, will use this rather than garage bands.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:34PM freaparn said
Yeah, 2007 sounds right. After the fiasco with RB's flakey drum kits and mooshy guitar strum pads (I'm one of those guys who preferred the firm snap of the GH strummers, if not the annoying noise they made) I promised myself I wouldn't be investing in more plastic instruments for a damn long while. Rhythm games were fun for a while, but I think they've overstayed their welcome.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 1:18PM wcarnation said
I dunno, RB2 came out 2008 and that was incredibly definitive. Following that in 2009 was some of the biggest DLC to come to the genre, putting bands people never thought would even sneeze in the direction of this stuff in there with their original songs.
They've made a lot of progress in the last few years, but I just can't see where future sequels will go without re-treading ground, so much has already been accomplished and perfected.
I think they just need to cool it down on releasing so many games, PACE YOURSELVES, DAMN IT!
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They've made a lot of progress in the last few years, but I just can't see where future sequels will go without re-treading ground, so much has already been accomplished and perfected.
I think they just need to cool it down on releasing so many games, PACE YOURSELVES, DAMN IT!
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:48AM KaneRobot said
Guitar Hero has peaked until/unless they come out with something that turns the genre on its head and gives the series a shot in the arm.
Rock Band may have peaked - it's hard to tell. RBN absolutely has the potential to reinvigorate the genre, but they sure are taking their sweet time with it. Going the GH route with band games isn't too reassuring either.
They really need to get RB3 out this year to capitalize on RBN fully, and with Green Day the next thing to arrive I'm starting to wonder if it's going to happen.
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Rock Band may have peaked - it's hard to tell. RBN absolutely has the potential to reinvigorate the genre, but they sure are taking their sweet time with it. Going the GH route with band games isn't too reassuring either.
They really need to get RB3 out this year to capitalize on RBN fully, and with Green Day the next thing to arrive I'm starting to wonder if it's going to happen.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:54AM RKN said
It hasn't peaked. They've oversaturated it to the point where the balloon burst long ago, they somehow put the broken pieces back together and are back to filling it with water. They dump that balloon into a bigger balloon (eg. hot air) and then fill that with water.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 11:56AM (Unverified) said
No, I don't want amateur work. I might like playing indie-band tracks, but what I really want are all my favorite band's tracks downloadable, and not learning that, for instance, Pearl Jam releases their best album in Rock Band instead of Guitar Hero.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:06PM sigma8 said
Disagree. The only songs I (or the people I've seen) care to play are the famous ones we know. This is escapism, not actual music production/performance. Look at LittleBigPlanet--the user created content is nice, but has it made LBP bigger than the previous generation of platformers? I think Mario is still doing just fine to remain user-created content-free. LBP's user levels gives it a little more longevity, but the problem is that they all (99%) suck. And that is going to be your problem with user-created content: It's going to suck.
TBH, you have to make it "difficult" to do...like modding Half-Life. That way you'll get less crap, and "the good 1%" things like Counter-strike will rise more quickly to the surface.
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TBH, you have to make it "difficult" to do...like modding Half-Life. That way you'll get less crap, and "the good 1%" things like Counter-strike will rise more quickly to the surface.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 7:37PM RodrigoCard said
are you saying Rock Band Network is easy?
take a look here:
http://www.google.com.br/search?q=rock+band+network
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take a look here:
http://www.google.com.br/search?q=rock+band+network
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:10PM (Unverified) said
I don't think the genre itself has peaked. I think what has peaked is the formula that the genre has followed since the first Guitar Hero
Playing Simon Says on a chart of Playskool notes is getting tiresome. Harmonix and Neversoft have got to find a way to put improvisation and more true to life musical creation into their games. I have a handful of my absolute favorite songs on my Rock Band games, but even they are growing stale. After you've played it so many times, there isn't anything new to the experience anymore.
What the genre needs is a way to make the experience new and fresh every time. No good band plays the same song the same exact way at every concert. Playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band is like re-watching the same concert over and over on DVD. What I want instead is to experience a different show every time I play.
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Playing Simon Says on a chart of Playskool notes is getting tiresome. Harmonix and Neversoft have got to find a way to put improvisation and more true to life musical creation into their games. I have a handful of my absolute favorite songs on my Rock Band games, but even they are growing stale. After you've played it so many times, there isn't anything new to the experience anymore.
What the genre needs is a way to make the experience new and fresh every time. No good band plays the same song the same exact way at every concert. Playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band is like re-watching the same concert over and over on DVD. What I want instead is to experience a different show every time I play.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:28PM The Blank Mage Returns said
User generated content, eh? Why do I get the feeling everything I actually WANT to submit would be deleted nigh-instantaneously?
...I'll buy it if they promise not to delete any classic Megaman songs.
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...I'll buy it if they promise not to delete any classic Megaman songs.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:31PM (Unverified) said
The last music game I bought was Rock Band (the first one). Haven't been excited for a music game since... Well actually I was excited for DJ Hero but the price turned me off.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:45PM Martin C said
The unfortunate side-effect of something like Rock Band Network is that the ecosystem of players having DLC that you also have is going to slowly disappear. Even now there are over 1000 DLC tracks to buy, so the likelihood of someone having the same DLC that you do is already slim.
The genre hasn't peaked to me, but I can see why it might have to some.
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The genre hasn't peaked to me, but I can see why it might have to some.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 12:52PM Funkmaster General said
I certainly hope that these games stick around for a while. I official exited Guitar Hero and entered the Rock Band camp, and it's like I'm in heaven. The amount of content, the ability to import original Rock Band songs AND downloadable albums by Janes Addiction, Peral Jam, The Pixies, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers...I realize I sound like some ridiculous advertisement, but I am seriously blown away.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 1:32PM Scuffles said
User generated content is always the key to squeezing as much out of a game as they possibly can, simply because the game continues to evolve and push forward without the developers having to invest any more time or money.......
now I think the real key here is them trying to figure out how to make money off user generated content while ensuring that they don't need to give one red cent to the user that generated said content.....
this from the industry that crys PIRATES whenever sales fail to exceed or just fall short of projections and shouts THIEVES when they don't get a cut of the second hand market.
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now I think the real key here is them trying to figure out how to make money off user generated content while ensuring that they don't need to give one red cent to the user that generated said content.....
this from the industry that crys PIRATES whenever sales fail to exceed or just fall short of projections and shouts THIEVES when they don't get a cut of the second hand market.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 1:41PM LettucePrey said
It's about time. I never could understand the fascination people have with these games.
Go away now silly plastic musical instruments. There's some room over there by the old DDR mats...
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Go away now silly plastic musical instruments. There's some room over there by the old DDR mats...
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 2:24PM Funkmaster General said
The fascination that I have is that I love music. I play real guitar, and I have a massive CD collection. Music is pretty much everything to me, and the ability to combine to of my favorite hobbies is intoxicating.
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 3:10PM wcarnation said
I like playing games revolving around rhythm. Imagine a simple board game, but you have to play it in a certain tempo.
Then make that gradually more complex and turn it into a video game.
There you go.
Play Um Jammer Lammy one day, and you'll see the light.
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Then make that gradually more complex and turn it into a video game.
There you go.
Play Um Jammer Lammy one day, and you'll see the light.
Posted: Jan 25th 2010 4:07PM (Unverified) said
User generated content?...just look at the piece of shit of GHTunes. Still waiting for RBN...they need to invest on that to have a REAL user-generated song maker
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Posted: Jan 25th 2010 4:19PM (Unverified) said
It depends on what "user" they're talking about.
If it's actual musicians who play real instruments in real bands and have actual album releases, then yes. Rock Band Network will be a big step forward in the right direction. No more middle man for artists to submit songs.
If the "user" is the average player of these games (me), then no. I play these games to pretend to play someone else's songs. Most of us do. I have no interest in using fake instruments to create songs or playing songs created on fake instruments. It's like saying people want to sing karaoke songs by people who sing karaoke.
It seems like RB is taking the former approach, and GH is taking the latter. I *don't* think the genre has peaked, RBN shows a lot of potential, but it's very close to peaking. GH peaked quite a while ago, and once RBN launches, that'll be the peak for RB. I don't see the genre lasting too far into next gen, unless the instruments will be compatible with future consoles.
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If it's actual musicians who play real instruments in real bands and have actual album releases, then yes. Rock Band Network will be a big step forward in the right direction. No more middle man for artists to submit songs.
If the "user" is the average player of these games (me), then no. I play these games to pretend to play someone else's songs. Most of us do. I have no interest in using fake instruments to create songs or playing songs created on fake instruments. It's like saying people want to sing karaoke songs by people who sing karaoke.
It seems like RB is taking the former approach, and GH is taking the latter. I *don't* think the genre has peaked, RBN shows a lot of potential, but it's very close to peaking. GH peaked quite a while ago, and once RBN launches, that'll be the peak for RB. I don't see the genre lasting too far into next gen, unless the instruments will be compatible with future consoles.
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