Rock Band 4 coming later this year

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Harmonix is claiming that the sprawl of Rock Band 3 will be replaced by a more focused experience that moves the series ahead on a number of levels. The push to get people learning how to play actual instruments will be set aside to focus on the arcade-style fun of the earlier titles.

"There is an existing gameplay core that is very powerful and very fun, and we don't want to tamper with that core. At the same time, we need to bring something new to the experience," Rigopulos said.

He listed three parts of the experience. One is the chase for the highest scores and most precise playing, which a "passionate minority" of players thinks about. Then there are the people who play Rock Band like a party experience, without much care for the "game" aspect of the title.

"The living-room party experience, the multiplayer, drunk party fun with rock and roll, these people don't care about score at all," he said. "[For them] it's all about having fun and making rock music with a group of friends."

The third focus is on the narrative progression of the game, the story that takes you through your career as a virtual rock star.

Those three aspects of the game will be the focus of Rock Band 4.

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Your downloaded songs will work through console families, so PlayStation 3 content will work on PS4, and the same with the Microsoft consoles. Now it's a matter of making sure the library works in the new game, while also figuring out the licensing for the existing content.

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Accessory manufacturer Mad Catz will be creating new instruments for the game, so you can look forward to purchasing new guitars and drums if you'd like. But there is also work being done to make sure your existing instruments are backward-compatible. Harmonix says it's working "aggressively" with Sony and Microsoft to make that happen.

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There will be no more ongoing sequels, no yearly releases. The arms race is dead. Rock Band 4 will launch Rock Band as a platform, and Rigopulos told us to expect continual updates, some of which will be paid, and some of which will be free.

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