Players who have not yet purchased Rock Band 4 digitally have a limited time left. This popular multiplayer rhythm game by Harmonix is set to be removed from the PlayStation and Xbox digital storefronts on Sunday, October 5th, marking nearly a decade since its original launch.
Kyle Wynn, a producer at Harmonix, confirmed the upcoming delisting via the official Rock Band Discord server, a detail highlighted by Wario64 on X. Wynn explained that the primary reason for this is the expiration of the original music licenses for the game`s core soundtrack. Importantly, digital owners will retain access and the ability to install the game.
Furthermore, Wynn stated that downloadable content (DLC) songs will also be delisted once they reach their ten-year digital availability mark. As with the base game, players who have already bought DLC will keep perpetual access. Rock Band 4 originally launched with 65 songs, and its DLC support, which included the `Rivals` expansion, concluded in January 2024.
Wynn concluded his announcement by advising players, “If you’ve been meaning to grab a few last songs, now’s the time.”
The expiration of music licensing agreements is a common cause for the removal of older games from digital stores. Consequently, it`s not surprising that many of Harmonix`s classic rhythm titles have already been delisted from digital platforms.
For example, Rock Band 3 was removed from digital stores in October 2015, just five years after its initial release. It`s worth noting that physical editions of these games remain fully playable and can often be purchased through various secondary marketplaces.
Since 2021, Harmonix has been owned by Epic Games and has been instrumental in developing the `Fortnite Festival` game mode, which shares similarities with Rock Band. Fortnite Festival offers a dynamic song list, a unique music pass, and frequently features prominent artists, with Gorillaz being a recent example.