Posted Mon Mar 7, 2016 at 12:30 PM PST by Brian Hoss
It may decision time for some..
Update: PDP will be releasing their hardware plans come PAX East and E3. The Mad Catz warranty and support for current products stands, including firnware updates. From the sound of it, fans should expect Mad Catz hardware to continue to be the way to play 'Rock Band 4' until the PDP stuff is ready, possibly in 2017. (See here.) Mad Catz and Harmonix will continue to work together on some level going forward.
Original story follows:
No doubt, the announcement, release, and ongoing existence of 'Rock Band 4' has been a bit of an unfolding drama. Recently, Mad Catz went public in announcing a dramatic reduction in workforce, see here and here, and today, it seems that the one time champion, co-publisher of 'Rock Band 4' (and 'RB3') and 'Rock Band' peripheral maker is out, while Performance Designed Products LLC (PDP) is in.
From Harmonix CEO Steve Janiak, "As we look to fully achieve our goal of creating this console generation’s category-defining music gaming platform, we need to partner with a truly world-class manufacturer that can operate at the scale that Rock Band requires. PDP has a well-deserved reputation for innovation, customer satisfaction, and quality. They have the logistical and technical expertise to support Harmonix’s ambitious plans for the future of Rock Band, with new hardware alongside a major Rock Band 4 feature update coming this Fall."
And yes, this isn't only publishing, this means hardware.
From PDP CEO Chris Richards, "Rock Band is the premier music platform for console players. This will be a great partnership and gaming fans should get ready to experience new, innovative hardware products for Rock Band 4 and Rock Band VR."
Depending on your outlook, that may mean it's time to pick that Rock Band Xbox One or PS4 guitar you've been waiting for. Or else it may mean that you wait to see if it will be preplaced by a better PDP version.
Source: HardcoreGamer
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