The first among them is Rocket Racing, a Mario Kart-like addition from developer Psyonix (Rocket League) that brought quite an entertaining arcade racing gameplay loop that’s sure to be missed when it goes offline in October 2026. That includes all raving islands created with UEFN, along with racing templates for new ones. There will be no more Rocket Racing Quests and Ranked Rewards starting next week, although the fact that you can still use your custom cars in other game modes is a small consolation.

While Rocket Racing’s exit is still a while away, Ballistic fans aren’t going to be so lucky as the mode is on its way out next month, leaving you with precious little time to enjoy it. While FPS island support will continue to be provided on UEFN, Epic Games asserts that the platform will need more functionality before a similar mode is possible (and there’s no timeline for the same).

Last but not least is the Festival Battle Stage, which will continue to operate normally in Harmonix’s Fortnite Festival until it shuts down on April 16, presumably to enable a more robust approach to content creation for other music modes such as Main Stage and Jam Stage. Epic Games had this to say about the removal of the three modes:

“We’ve built a lot of Fortnite modes, and in some cases, we failed to build something awesome enough to attract and retain a large player base. We are going to shut these modes down on the schedules outlined below – we’re grateful for everyone who played.”

The path forward remains murky for Fortnite, but perhaps its partnership with the Unity Engine could help turn its fortunes around. Either way, the tweet below is now the latest blow to the title, and all we can do is commiserate and share fond memories of these modes before they disappear.

https://x.com/FortniteStatus/status/2036451164347109440

Rock Band 4, which was originally released on PS4 and Xbox One all the way back in October 2015, will still remain available to those that already own the title. However, the only way new players will be able to get their hands on the title will be through physical copies, which are likely quite rare at this point since the gaming market has turned to digital distribution in a major way.

Along with the game itself, DLC will also continue to be available to players that have previously bought it. As time keeps moving along, more and more DLC that was previously released for Rock Band 4 will also start getting de-listed owing to the licenses expiring. This also means that, with the passage of time, players won’t be able to get their hands on older DLC for the title, likely making them miss out on many song collections.

“We’re so grateful for the passion this community has shown,” said Harmonix in its announcement. “From the team, it’s been a special experience to serve you with Rivals challenges, a super deep downloadable content library and a best in class band sim. If you’ve been meaning to grab a few last songs, now’s the time. Thanks again.”

Interestingly, while Rock Band 4 has been around for a decade at this point, it never really got upgraded to special PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions. Rather, the title still remains dependent on the backwards-compatibility of both consoles to remain playable. This also means that, for players that picked up physical copies of the title, a disc-based SKU of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S would be mandatory in order to play it.

While Rock Band 4 featured the same classic rhythm-based gameplay with plastic peripherals that made the title famous with the 2007 release of the first game on PS3 and Xbox 360, it also brought with it plenty of new features. Chief among these features was the addition of Freestyle modes that allowed players to go into quick freestyle solos.

The title has also seen the release of several DLCs featuring new music over the years, with the first one arriving shortly after its release. It even eventually got online multiplayer, which was a major change for the franchise since it was traditionally known for its strong offerings in the local multiplayer space thanks to its use of peripherals.

While Harmonix has worked on several other projects since the release of Rock Band 4, 2021 saw the studio getting acquired by Epic Games. The company noted at the time that Harmonix would tap into its experience with working on music in games to “develop musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite.”

Taking recently to Twitter, Epic confirmed that contrary to what some might believe, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival are being treated as “brand new games entirely” rather than as the limited-time modes that Fortnite has received in the past, which means they’re not going to be removed from Fortnite, and that they will receive updates of their own as well.

“Seeing some chatter around our newly launched games and people worried that they may not stick around,” the company wrote. “To clarify: these are brand new games entirely – not limited-time modes.

“Fear not! LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival are here to stay – with regular updates.”

Exactly how regular these updates will be and what they will bring remains to be seen, but Epic has already confirmed that developer Harmonix will be adding more songs to Fortnite Festival’s track list, so there’s that. Stay tuned for more information in the coming days and weeks.

https://twitter.com/FortniteGame/status/1734228391833006442

December 7 will see the launch of LEGO Fortnite, developed jointly by Epic Games and The Lego Group. Described as “the ultimate survival crafting LEGO adventure”, LEGO Fortnite will take players to “vast, open worlds where the magic of LEGO building and Fortnite collide” and “encourage creativity, experimentation and collaboration through play.”

Then, on December 8, Epic Games will release Rocket Racing in Fortnite. Developed by Rocket League studio Psyonix, Rocket Racing is “a supersonic arcade racer where players drift, fly, and boost with friends through an ever-growing selection of tracks”.

Finally, on December 9, we will see the launch of Fortnite Festival, a new music game developed by Harmonix of Rock Band fame. Fortnite Festival will allow players to either play in a band with other players, or perform solo.

You can view the announcement trailer for LEGO Fortnite below. Additionally, a reveal trailer for Rocket Racing has been confirmed for The Game Awards on December 7 by producer and host Geoff Keighley on Twitter.

That said, Harmonix has said in an update published on its own website that it will continue to support Rock Band 4 with addition content, with plans already underway for Seasons 25, 26, and beyond. All past Harmonix games will remain available on Steam and other storefronts as well, while no changes will be made to plans for FUSER either. Meanwhile, the studio also clarifies that though DLC plans for Rock Band 4 aren’t going to change, there are currently no plans to develop and release additional instruments for the game.

Harmonix co-founder and chairman Alex Rigopulos said about the acquisition: “Harmonix has always aspired to create the world’s most beloved interactive music experiences, and by joining Epic we will be able to do this at scale. Together we will push the creative boundaries of what’s possible and invent new ways for our players to make, perform and share music.”

Epic Games’ vice president of game development Alain Tascan said: “Music is already bringing millions of people together in Fortnite, from our emotes to global concerts and events. Together with the Harmonix team we will transform how players experience music, going from passive listeners to active participants.”

In July 2020, Harmonix announced that it had partnered with Stadia for the development of a new exclusive game, though it’s unknown what the status of that project is, or if it even exists anymore.

If you’ve been waiting for a price drop before jumping into Harmonix’s Fuser, well, you’re in luck. The game has had its price dropped permanently, at least in North America. The game’s standard edition will now retail for $39.99, while the VIP edition will be available for $79.99. The price drop affects every version of the game.

It’s not a bad price considering Fuser is regularly updated with DLC. Most recently, the “Flavor of Love” DLC introduced tracks from Billie Eilish, J. Cole, The Cure, and several others. Some Lover’s “Days Head, Days Behind” was also added for free for all Fuser players.

The most recent major free release was the Faint Shadow Loop Pack 01, a free release that will be the first in a series of Promoter Packs. This first loop pack gives players access to a collection of mellow, meditative loops and sounds from Faint Shadow’s personal collection, so folks who are looking for something a little more low key to mix into their tracks should find it helpful. In total, 92 songs have been added to Fuser as DLC.

Fuser is out now on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.

Harmonix may not be making Guitar Hero or Rock Band anymore, but they’re still the king of the rhythm game. Their latest effort, Fuser, lets you step into the roll of a DJ, and it’s getting some new DLC soon.

The latest DLC pack is titled “Flavor of Love” and will release in May. The DLC introduces tracks from Billie Eilish, J. Cole, The Cure, and more. Some Lover’s “Days Head, Days Behind” will also be free for all Fuser players.

The full list of tracks is as follows:

– Billie Eilish “Therefore I Am”
– The Cure “Friday I’m In Love”
– Dirty Vegas “Days Go By”
– Disclosure ft. Sam Smith “Latch”
– Haddaway “What Is Love”
– J. Cole “No Role Modelz”
– Soft Cell “Tainted Love”
– Some Lover “Days Ahead, Days Behind”

Also arriving in May is Faint Shadow Loop Pack 01, a free release that will be the first in a series of Promoter Packs. This first loop pack gives players access to a collection of mellow, meditative loops and sounds from Faint Shadow’s personal collection, so folks who are looking for something a little more low key to mix into their tracks should find it helpful.

Fuser is out now on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.

Exclusives have been a rarity on Stadia. Though a few games like the upcoming Orcs Must Die! 3 do pledge timed exclusivity to the digital platform, there’s not nearly enough of them, and while Google does seem to be working towards building up its own first party portfolio, that’s probably going to be a long, ongoing process.

In the interim, it seems Google is going to be relying on deals with other developers to develop exclusives for Stadia. At the recent Stadia Connect, in fact, they announced that they have signed deals with Harmonix (developers of Rock Band) and Supermassive Games (the studio behind Until Dawn and Man of Medan) to develop exclusive Stadia titles.

“Our teams create games that mix powerful storytelling with cinematic production values. Combining these elements is key to what we do,” Pete Samuels, CEO of Supermassive said. “We’ve always had a passion for exploring the benefits of new technology and new platforms, and the features of Stadia really enhance what we see as the values of our games. Our games are designed to be played by anyone (as long as they are old enough!) and we love the accessibility of the Stadia platform. The low barrier to entry and ability to play across multiple devices allows players to quickly immerse themselves in our games. We couldn’t be more excited about the partnership.”

Meanwhile, Steve Janiak of Harmonix had this to say about the studio’s partnership with Stadia: “Any time our team gets to work on a new platform they are eager to discover what new gameplay they can pioneer. How can we push music gaming forward? The power and accessibility offered by Stadia, combined with Stadia Enhanced Features and the backing of Google, has enabled our team to develop something completely new and unique. We can’t wait to share more about it.”

The upcoming projects of Supermassive and Harmonix are probably not going to be revealed for a while yet, but it’s good to see that Google is taking at least some measures to address the drought of quality exclusive content on its service. Given the reputation of both these studios, their Stadia projects are very likely going to be worth keeping an eye on.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s PS4 launch.

"Since we launched Audica into Early Access earlier this year, we have been blown away by our players’ enthusiasm for the game."

Audica has been very well received by players since its PC launch earlier this year. How heartening has the reaction from the community been to see?

Since we launched Audica into Early Access earlier this year, we have been blown away by our players’ enthusiasm for the game. The impact the community has had on the game is tangible and we would not have the game we have today without that enthusiasm.

Combining precision shooting with rhythm gameplay is certainly a novel concept, but clearly, it’s one that works. To begin with though, how did the idea even come about?

Fundamentally, we wanted to create a rhythm action experience that embodies the over-the-top action scenes in movies. So we set about in melding the idea of keeping a rhythm while executing the movie tropes of “crossing arms to shoot” or “holding the gun sideways”. This led to the core gameplay we have today which is summarized by my favorite line we’ve ever crafted: “a choreographed ballet of beat-blasting brilliance”

Given that this game is currently in Early Access on Steam, how has the dialog with the community been, in terms of not just feedback for current content, but in general in deciding the future of where to take this title?

The dialog with the community has been amazing. Throughout development we rapidly introduced new features based on player feedback — everything from customizing the color of your guns, adding gunslinging tricks, to core scoring mechanics. The game would look a lot different today if we hadn’t worked so closely with the community to understand their feedback.

"One thing that makes Audica such a fun and physical experience is the immersion in a wide field of targets."

It’s clear that virtual reality adds immensely to Audica and its entire experience, but do you think this is a game that simply would not work without virtual reality? That is to say, would you be open to releasing a non-VR version of the game down the road?

One thing that makes Audica such a fun and physical experience is the immersion in a wide field of targets. Instead of being confined to a screen that takes up a few degrees of your viewing angle, VR essentially allows us to make those targets appear on a giant 180-degree wraparound screen. Combine that with high-quality hand tracking and independent controllers and you have an experience that is truly unique to VR.

Audica‘s soundtrack currently largely focuses on electronic music, but do you see the game expanding to other music genres as well?

Harmonix has had a long history of crafting amazing soundtracks for our games and DLC, and Audica is no different. We pay attention to artists we think our players would like and seek out tracks we can immediately picture authoring and mapping. Our core soundtracks tend to be pretty focused, so with our DLC we’ve been exploring genres not represented in the core soundtrack to help expand Audica’s musical diversity.

Can you talk about the customization options in the game and what they entail?

We offer a ton of customization options for players. We allow players to customize the color of their guns & targets, players can unlock additional models and arenas through the Campaign, and even tweak some of the gameplay settings like how much aim assist the game provides or adjusting the Audio/Video sync to fit your system’s calibration.

"We are hard at work developing more DLC for Audica to expand its soundtrack even further."

Do you have any plans to add more tracks, arenas, and other content to the game with future DLC?

We are hard at work developing more DLC for Audica to expand its soundtrack even further. We’re going to have content for all players and platforms releasing over the next few months, so stay tuned for more info.

Earlier this week, Harmonix announced it would be adding some new features to Rock Band 4 this fall including synchronous online multiplayer. With this new expansion, Rock Band 4 players will be able to compete with others, all over the world.

There aren’t a great deal of details about the expansion just yet but the company talked to Videogamer and told the site, the “expansion pack is a traditional paid expansion and launches later this year with two new modes as well as a host of other updates”. The company is clearly attempting to listen to its community of players in rolling out the newest features.

Another feature that will apparently be rolled out during the fall is the ION Drum Set support. The company has said it will shed more light on the full details of this fall’s expansion at E3. We don’t have a full launch date but the expansion for Rock Band 4 is due this fall.