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Harmonix has ended support for Rock Band Network, a content service that allowed music creators to release their music as playable tracks in Rock Band.
Explaining the decision to close the service on its forums, Harmonix acknowledged that the network had been “plagued with technical issues” since ending DLC support last year, and that it no longer had the resources available to “operate RBN with the kind of consistency that it deserves”.
“When the crew here at Harmonix first started developing a tool that would allow Rock Band fans, artists, and labels to put their own songs into Rock Band we had no idea that it would spawn a community that was nothing short of ravenous in their pursuit of new tracks,” said Harmonix. “Even if we had been able to anticipate the level of enthusiasm, we certainly couldn’t have predicted that the RBN authors would generate a body of work that so quickly eclipsed the official Harmonix output.”
The 2,121 songs previously released on the network will continue to be made available for sale but new content will no longer be accepted.
“We are eternally grateful to all the Creators, authors, testers, labels, bands, and fans that have supported Rock Band Network since its inception,” Harmonix continued. “The team here at Harmonix remains committed to exploring opportunities for user generated content, as well as the ability to personalize your experience with our games. We can only hope that the next time we approach a similar initiative the community is as dedicated and enthusiastic as this community has been.”
Rock Band 3, the most recent core game in the series, released in October 2010.
Source: forums.harmonixmusic.com
