Hey everyone,
A lot has happened with Rocksmith lately inside and outside the community, and we thought it was time to share an update. We've been pretty quiet and while our intention wasn't to leave you all hanging, we know we haven't done a great job at communicating. That's on us. So, let's get into it.
Where we are today and what's next
Over the last year and a half, we've been heads down taking care of Rocksmith. We're now a small but dedicated team; some of us have been working on Rocksmith for over a decade, and most of us are musicians ourselves. Every one of us wants to make it better.
With this new team in place, we focused on a few key areas:
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New top hits in our Rocksmith+ catalog: the team's been working hard on licensing, and the library has come a long way. Recent drops include tracks from Incubus, Bob Dylan, Lamb of God, Disturbed, The Offspring, Deftones, Royal Blood, and Linkin Park. Alongside those, you'll find marquee names across the board like Metallica, Dream Theater, Green Day, Weezer, Sabaton, Killswitch Engage, Sepultura, Muse, Foreigner, Paramore, Coldplay, Ghost, Boston, The Doors, Oasis, John Fogerty, The Clash - with plenty more in the library.
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Improved Rocksmith+ technical stability: We've improved how quickly we can catch and fix issues, and we're working to fix any bug that could get in your way. We won't pretend it'll ever be perfect - any live service will always have something to chase - but it's ongoing work we're committed to.
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Rocksmith 2014 on Steam: Not into the subscription model? We get it. After its original music licenses expired, we built Rocksmith 2014 Learn & Play as a one-time purchase on Steam. And we haven't forgotten about the downloadable tracks that have disappeared from the stores: we're working to relicense the most popular ones and bring them back.
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Making Rocksmith more affordable: We now run regular discounts on Rocksmith+ (as low as $6 / €6 per month with a 12-month plan)*, plus discounts for Rocksmith 2014 Learn & Play, making it even more accessible. And we've also expanded regular DLC discount offers, so grabbing your favorite songs is a little easier.
Our focus is now on improving your experience, making the game better, smoother, and more fun to come back to. Once that's solid, our goal is to start working on new features down the road.
The elephant in the room
The dedication this community brings to Rocksmith isn't lost on us, and passionate communities are creative. If you believe in your ideas, go build them: your own designs, your own code, your own licenses. That's how the world moves forward.
For the same reason, it should not come at the expense of the work of the teams and artists who contribute to Rocksmith. The actions we took recently reflect our intent to protect our works and technologies when they are used without authorization, and this is not a decision the Rocksmith team takes lightly.
That care applies to the music too. We build Rocksmith with respect for artists and their creations. Properly licensing music is one of the foundations Rocksmith stands on. It's careful work and discussions with artists and their labels - that's how we make sure the people whose creativity makes Rocksmith possible are treated fairly. Any new ideas or projects built on the same music need the same foundation - otherwise it stands on nothing.
One last, heartfelt word
Fair criticism of the Rocksmith games themselves is always welcome and ultimately makes them better. A lot of you play guitar because of Rocksmith. That's what makes this worth doing - and worth doing right.
Rocksmith is and has always been a product of real dedication. We had to fight to make it, as it was a bet no one else was making at the time. We took some risks to change it in the hope of making it better. And while some things did not pan out as expected, we kept fighting to keep Rocksmith going through the rough patches. That's what drives us. Now, we have a chance to keep pushing it forward. We owe this to everyone who's been part of Rocksmith. The next chapter is one we're building for the community and to win back those we've lost.
Thanks for sticking with us.
The Rocksmith Team
* Pricing may vary by region/country and is subject to local availability and currency.
