Rock Band Is Going Mobile, But Not To iPhone (Yet)

@Bannana Stand CEO: ONE 30 seconds to mars song is too many.
Why are there two?!

@Cpt. Overkill: Go easy on him, it's been a hard day...the crushing disappointment of GH 5 has altered his outlook a little.

@Jmax2792: FYI: Backbone Entertainment is the developer of Rock Band: Unplugged. Just strengthens your point.

@Mcmax3000: 9 if you include dj hero!

Guitar Hero 2, Guitar Hero 3, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero Metallica, Guitar Hero Smash Hits, Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero Van Halen, Band Hero and finally DJ Hero.

All of which are on current gen consoles.

@ShiftBreaker: Exporting more, 35 songs to the whole lego rock band set list and 55 from the original rock band?

I'm sorry but you have no idea what you're even talking about, you must literally be Guitar Hero biggest fanboy.

Activision are learning you know because they haven't released a mobile version or a kiddies version like lego rock band (band hero),

don't criticise one side without understanding your own.

ACTIVISION AREN'T LEARNING AT ALL.

Rock Band = Guitar Hero III
Rock Band 2 = Guitar Hero: World Tour
Rock Band Unplugged = Guitar Hero On Tour * 3
Lego Rock Band = Band Hero
The Beatles: Rock Band > Guitar Hero: (Aerosmith + Metallica + Van Halen)

And now Rock Band Mobile = Guitar Hero Mobile series. For every concern that Rock Band is being "milked" too much, Guitar Hero is always WAY ahead of it.

WadeLolzord

And the reason it's not coming to iPhone would be?

robpe36

@Jmax2792: Whether or not Harmonix made the mobile version or not, EA don't own the franchise, only publish and distribute it... So any whoring of the franchise is down to Harmonix/Rock Band's owners, namely MTV Networks.

...Besides, I wouldn't go as far as say they are whoring the franchise to the same extent as Activision yet, just releasing the software on different platforms, If they start churning out multiple versions of the game on the same platform in a year, then they are whoring.

Actually, Harmonix only had a supervisory role in Unplugged, the bulk of development being from Backbone. So The Beatles is the only big project coming directly from them.

WadeLolzord

bring it to android, the GHWT mobile is terrible.

presto117

I'm slowing becoming a guitar hero.

@ShiftBreaker: "EA with a constant stream of track packs with songs" Yes but tell me, is it better to choose from a library of songs the ones you want to buy or to have to buy an entire game disc for a few songs you like, because there isnt, and Im sure of it, a single person in the world who likes every song in one of the games, its hard to even find one who likes HALF the songs in one of the RB/GH games, except for metallica and aerosmith fans in both GH metallica and aerosmith.

@moose39: But its for the mobile, I mean really it wont affect you at all.

@moose39: I doubt Harmonix is developing it, it's probably some random developer. HMX only did Unplugged and Beatles this year, 2 isn't too bad. Lego is being done by TT games and I doubt HMX would spend the time making this when it could be done simply by any developer and when they are focusing on Beatles. I think it's EA starting to think they have to whore out the franchise like Activision does to GH.

Jmax2792

Oh boy, I hope they port this to the Zune HD, or at least port a version of Phase.

@ShiftBreaker: Uuuuuh...not to be a logic-nancy here but can't they both be whoring out?

@thesircuddles: The difference between LEGO and what GH is doing is that LEGO is doing different things with Rock Band in the direction of gameplay modes and features.

Whereas Band Hero (which appears to be GH's answer to LEGO) is just GH5 with a different setlist.

@ShiftBreaker: You keep telling yourself that fanboy. This isn't even close to what has become of GH.

The console franchise, a Frequency/Amplitude type game with the Rock Band name, and now a mobile title that's basically Phase with the RB label.

If you add up all of the games in the RB franchise to date I still don't even think you get to half of what's come out for the Hero franchise this year.

@Fuelie79: Agreed. It seems odd that they didn't mention the iPhone, it's pretty much the perfect platform if you're going to make a mobile Rockband game.

I'm sure they have something planned, though.

@Numanoid: Eh, it's just very pop oriented, to appeal to the mass audience. Makes sense since the mobile games market is not the same as the console market in any means.

Bannana Stand CEO

@Hamster Of The North: I think Sims won't be beat by rock band.

Bannana Stand CEO

@VinceNotVance: LEGO Rock Band is just growing the Rock Band audience to kids and more families. And when those kids grow up, they will get RB 3 or 4. Any GH game is targeted at the same group of people.

Bannana Stand CEO

Stop here, Harmonix. The reason why I love Rock Band so much is because I get ONE game a year. Three to four is REALLY pushing it. REALLY.

@Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.: +1 sir

@Paradox me: Don't you ever listen to your IPOD and imagine playing rock band while listening to it? Now you can touch the screen to it and interact with your music if you so desire. It appears you don't, but some might, and after extensive market research, it was decided a good amount of people might have interest in this, and thus it was made so.

Bannana Stand CEO

@ShiftBreaker: I liked your last paragraph. If you hate Activision making all types of GHs, then don't buy them all. I haven't bought one since GH III though V I might pick up, has some songs I like on it.

Rockband going mobile is just expanding it's audience. That's what company's do, find more sources of revenue. GH just keeps sticking to the same revenue source, pumping it dry.

Then again, they are just games meant to enjoy, so enjoy whatever game you want and as many RBs and GHs as you want (or can afford)

Bannana Stand CEO

@ShiftBreaker: How are they about the same when it comes to portable consoles? Rock Band has one portable game (if we're counting unreleased, it would be three with this one &; Lego: Rock Band on DS).

Guitar Hero has a new DS game every six months &; three or four different Mobile games.

At least each of the portable Rock Band games are all on different platforms (One on PSP, One on DS & One on Mobile).

And in terms of Console releases, Rock Band has two (I don't count the track packs since all of those songs are or will be available as DLC), compared to Activision's five (six if you're one of the people that counts DJ Hero).

You can argue as to if EA/MTV/Harmonix are whoring out their game or not (personally I don't think they've reached that point yet) but they're nowhere near as bad as Activision.

@Hamster Of The North:

Rock Band has a LONG way to go if it wants to beat Solitare. :p

@VinceNotVance: How are they pushing it? By bringing their game to a new platform? Is it too much for you that most games are now on 5 platforms anyways? How is Harmonix tarnishing the brand name by putting out three games in one year? Activision has 9 this year and that number is surely going to grow in the coming years. Harmonix is doing everything right and it doesn't make sense for people lto bash their business model.

porkster

Seems kind of pointless to put these kinds of games on to handhelds and mobiles since they're more about the use of the peripherals.

K1NG EV1L

@thesircuddles: But Activision ARE learning. Hell, with 2 games exporting to Guitar Hero 5 (Both of which are exporting more with the licences), along with Neversoft noting that Metallica and Van Halen aren't out of the question AS WELL as reports of Band Hero being exportable (albeit not at launch), it seems that there finally is a platform for the Guitar Hero series as well. For when it comes to consoles, both Activision and EA are whoring the series' out. Activision with full fledged games, and EA with a constant stream of track packs with songs with an exclusivity period to said track packs in order to create more revenue. And when it comes to portable consoles, both seem to be within range of each other nowadays.

Of course, I'm ignoring all the GH branded rubbish you see everywhere, just the games, just the games. And all these ones are a step in that direction of EA realising how much of a Cash Cow RB can be. Harmonix jumping ship after being bought was just delaying the inevitable.

But hey, not that it matters to me. I'm one of the few people in the world who both greatly enjoy Rock Band and Guitar Hero. I'm just sick of pointless elitist bashing from either side against the other.

ShiftBreaker

@wolfthing11: It says that they will be using MP3s.

thegreatpablo

@VinceNotVance: I wouldn't say Unplugged is "pushing it." HMX wanted to make a Frequency/Amplitude sequel, but Sony wouldn't allow it. So, Unplugged was the closest they could get.

Well, Harmonix made music games used with regular controllers before, it's logical that they'd want to make some more.

fronsac

@ShiftBreaker: Personally I don't think this even comes close to what Activision has done. This to me is just them bringing it to another platform (which I would love to see come to my iPod).

If anything Lego Rock Band is a better example of such practices, but allowing us to import all of the Lego Rock Band songs into Rock Band 1/2 makes it feel much more legit instead of a cash grab.

Aww. I would have loved RB for iPhone.

@Paradox me: Do you understand the concept of "Theres money to be made" ?

Any comments about activision whoring out are now invalid as EA aren't any better

ShiftBreaker

I really don't understand why all of these console-oriented music games are going mobile. Wasn't the appeal of them playing the plastic instruments, imitating the experience?

I have no qualms about rhythm games on the go, but I just can't wrap my head around this.

I'd say cut it out before "Rock Band" becomes like "Guitar Hero". They're already pushing it with "LEGO Rock Band" and the one for PSP. Let's leave the brand name untarnished, unlike Activision.

I'm gonna kill myself if RockBand becomes the most played game in the world.

Strange setlist is strange.