The rhythm game boom of the late 2000s may have ended quite some time ago, but Sucker Punch Productions’ Senior Staff Designer Eric Jensen seems to be nostalgic for the era, and it’s earned the attention of notorious third-party peripheral manufacturer Hyperkin. Known primarily for the Retron line of emulation boxes, Hyperkin is also remembered by some Xbox fans forreviving the classic Duke controller in 2017, and it seems like the company may now have its sights set on revivingRock Band.Once the premiere franchise from developer Harmonix, Rock Bandfell out of favor during the dawn of the eighth console generation. While the company joined with MadCatz in an effort to reignite interest in the series in 2015, that fizzled out fairly quickly, though the title is still receiving support more than seven years after the fact. That said, gambling on a bygone franchiseled to financial ruin for MadCatz, making another go-around seem risky for all parties involved.RELATED:Geralt of Rivia Now Available in FortniteSucker Punch Productions’ Eric Jensen commented on Twitter that he missed the communal aspects ofRock Bandand lamented the loss of video game experiences that could unite a family or group of friends in person. The tweet quickly gained traction, causing Hyperkin to tweet at Epic Games, the parent company of Harmonix, and inquire about the possibility of developing a newRock Bandgame. In all likelihood, the tweet was facetious and intended to bring attention to Hyperkin, but it’s nonetheless an interesting proposition.
Hyperkin seems primed to return plastic guitar and drum peripherals to their former glory. Routinely remaking classic controllers for use with modern systems,Hyperkin may have the magic touchwhen it comes to blending the old and the new—especially when it comes to consoles like the Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch. That said, asking gamers to once again invest in massive instrument-shaped controllers destined to languish in basements and attics remains a tall task.
When Epic Games acquired Harmonix in late 2021, few knew precisely what the publisher had planned for the ex-Rock Banddeveloper. Some speculate thatHarmonix may be contributing to Epic Games’ metaverse ambitionsat the moment, though theFortnitepublisher seems to be keeping information related to that under wraps. Ultimately, Harmonix’s current dealings aren’t precisely known, but the chances of the developer joining forces with Hyperkin to re-imagine theRock Bandfranchise seem very unlikely.
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