Project Lead Daniel Sussman has explained why Rock Band 4 will not (initially) be seeing a PC release later this fall. In an interview with Eurogamer, Sussman elaborates that one of the main concerns is piracy.
“There’s something comforting about the closed network that comes along with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,” Sussman states. “That’s important to our partners in the music industry. Not to say that’s an unsolvable problem.”
In a statement released to clarify Sussman’s comments, Harmonix did qualify that “In the case of more open platforms like PC, we’re responsible for that. 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.”
Hence, it seems that Harmonix wants to ensure that any future PC release of Rock Band 4 will have adequate safeguards against piracy and hacking.
In addition to security concerns, Sussman also noted the title’s lack of a foundation in the PC market.
“The library is not there on PC…the library is there on Xbox and PlayStation. So, for players who want it on PC, really you’re looking at a new audience that hasn’t played before, and I don’t know to what degree there is an audience for new players who have never played Rock Band before on the PC. That’s one piece of it.”
In any case, it seems that PC gamers will have to wait to rock out to their favorite tunes.
Rock Band 4 releases for Playstation 4 and Xbox One later this year.