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Harmonix Wants You To Fund A Rock Band 4 PC Port
Retail shelves are filled with Rock Band 4 gear, and co-publisher Madcatz recently ousted three company executives and will lay off 37 percent of staff on weak sales. That isn’t stopping Harmonix from making a go of the game on a new platform, but the company is asking for community help.
Today, the studio announced it will be launching a crowdfunding campaign on Fig with a goal of $1.5 million. The PC version will include the console features plus the return of Rock Band Network and user-generated content.
The PC version will include 65 songs, with another 33 tied to backer tiers. There are currently 1,700 downloadable songs that will be available.
Last year, Harmonix expressed reservation about a PC version because of security concerns. The company said that open platforms, like PC, require enhanced protections to ensure that licensed music can’t be stolen. Consoles already have those measures baked in, and Harmonix doesn’t have a solution yet on PC.
“Music security is an important priority for both Harmonix and our many music partners,” said Harmonix creative director Alex Rigopolus. “We’re currently evaluating a number of third-party encryption solutions to ensure that the music in Rock Band 4 on the PC will be as secure as possible.”
Sumo Digital will be handling the PC port, building upon the work done for the Xbox One and PS4 versions. You can see the full campaign, which is available now through April 5, 2016, on Fig’s website. You can read up on the console version in our review.
Our Take
Crowdfunding has its place, but this is a tough sell. Especially as Harmonix’s biggest hesitation was a security issue that isn’t yet solved, the timing and approach is strange.
Right now though, Madcatz has to hope this succeeds. The company is carrying inventory it can’t get rid of. Retailers can’t move what they’ve already bought. The peripheral company took a huge risk and it did not pay off. We’ll see if PC gamers are willing to take a similar risk on this campaign.
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