For those itching to play Rock Band 4 on PC, you're out of luck: that version of the game won't be made. Why not?
It seems that we'll never see Rock Band 4 on PC because of piracy concerns — not of the game, but of the music featured in the game.
According to Eurogamer, Rock Band 4 developer Harmonix has concerns about that music easily being grabbed from the game and pirated, resulting in it being offered for free on torrent sites.
On consoles, music piracy isn't as much of a concern, because consoles such as Xbox One and PlayStation 4provide more security for music licensed within video games.
However, that isn't the only reason (although it's probably the main one) that we'll never see a Rock Band 4 release on PC. Previous versions of the game were always console-only, so the vast library of songs previously downloaded on consoles wouldn't be accessible to players. The people at Harmonix also pointed out that they're not even sure a market exists for a PC version of the game.
Regardless, the main takeaway is that those who might be interested in playing the game on PC will probably never have the opportunity.
"In the case of more open platforms like PC, we're responsible for that," wrote Harmonix in a statement. "It's something we can build. It's not off the table for the future, however we're first focusing on delivering Rock Band 4 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this holiday."
It's been five years since the previous Rock Band title, so expect fans of the franchise to embrace Rock Band 4 on consoles. The latest title offers new features such as an RPG-like story that allows you to make choices about your band that will affect its future in the music industry.
"When we started looking at all the new features we have in the game, mechanically, it just made sense for us to build this epic, branching story where instead of taking one rise to fame path through the world," said Harmonix game designer Alli Thresher. "You know, you go from your hometown to being the biggest band in the world, you choose... what kind of band you are."
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