Hello Rocksmith fans!
Exciting day!
An article from Sports Illustrated interviewing Jason Schroeder has revealed that October 24th will indeed be the launch of Piano content in Rocksmith+
- Coldplay – “Clocks” (Not yet released, scheduled for Oct 24th)
- Alicia Keys – “If I Ain’t Got You” (Available now, guitar/bass)
- Billy Joel – “Piano Man” (Not yet released, scheduled for Oct 24th)
- The White Stripes – “My Doorbell” (Not yet released, scheduled for Oct 24th)
- Ludwig van Beethoven – “Für Elise” (Not yet released, scheduled for Oct 24th) [Bachsmith?]
- Linkin Park – “Lost ” (Available now, guitar/bass)
The full launch catalogue features a mix of piano-exclusive tracks and some repurposed recordings for guitar and bass. Some of these include classic hits from artists like The Cure and Linkin Park that Ubisoft recently added thanks to a new licensing deal with Warner Music.
Rocksmith+ is one year old, and to celebrate, Ubisoft is adding piano on PC and mobile devices, with 300 new songs, including classics from Billy Joel and Coldplay. Rocksmith+ producer Jason Schroeder told GLHF the news over a video call outlining the music game’s evolution over the past 12 months and said piano – Rocksmith’s first new instrument in over 10 years – was a natural and essential next step for the franchise.
“There’s an audience for it, of people trying to take piano lessons or hoping that their kids take piano,” Schroeder says. “And school curriculum is always in the back of our heads. Music programs aren’t as well funded as they used to be, so we’re trying to fill some part of that gap for people, families, and learners. It just seemed like such an essential place to go.”
Schroeder says some of Rocksmith’s longtime fans have moved on to start or play in bands themselves, and he hopes adding piano to the mix might help them expand their talents even further.
“I’m hoping some of those folks will come back and say, ‘I’ve wanted to add piano to my repertoire, I’ve had this keyboard that I use for a little songwriting, but I’ve never really known how to play.’”
“We still have a long way to go, but I think we’ve matured as a live service,” Schroeder says. “I’m really proud that the team has been able to keep up with new releases, bug fixes, and improvements, and I’m excited to keep expanding. We’ve got some cool surprises in store.”
You can hear more about the challenges of getting Rocksmith to its current state in our exclusive Rocksmith+ anniversary interview.
Ubisoft is putting those lessons to use for Rocksmith’s biggest addition, the first new instrument added to a Rocksmith game in almost 12 years: piano. Later in October 2023, Ubisoft will roll out support for piano and keyboard in Rocksmith+, including an initial library of 300 songs ranging from “Happy Birthday” – Schroeder said it’s one of the most-requested songs – to Billy Joel and Alicia Keys. There’s a selection of classical music in the mix as well, which Schroeder says is another first for the franchise.
Piano is a natural fit, Schroeder tells me. The team considered several instruments before settling on piano, including drums, but the versatility of digital keyboards and the piano’s role in teaching fundamentals for practically every other instrument made it the best choice.
“There’s an audience for it, of people trying to take piano lessons or hoping that their kids take piano,” Schroeder says. “And school curriculum is always in the back of our heads. Music programs aren’t as well funded as they used to be, so we’re trying to fill some part of that gap for people, families, and learners. It just seemed like such an essential place to go.”
It’s also easier to manage for more people, with fewer space requirements – and noise problems – compared to something like percussion instruments.
Community feedback about approachability and fundamentals helped shape the team’s approach to piano. Schroder tells me that the team faced concerns over piano being too overwhelming, with considerably more notes on screen and keys to manage. However, the approach they refined for guitar transferred seamlessly to piano.
“They just find themselves clicking in and entering a game design flow state,” he says. “It’s not as overwhelming once you started to not worry about those notes over there and these keys out here. You just need to focus on one thing at a time.”
The Rocksmith team, meanwhile, is focusing on much more than just one thing at a time. In addition to expanding the guitar offerings and rolling out piano, Ubisoft is working on a console port for Rocksmith+. The port has run into a few snags, not least of which is the challenge of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S having nothing like the Rockband Keyboard peripherals you could plug into your PS3 and Xbox 360. These ports and more features will come, eventually, but for now, Schroeder is pleased with how far Rocksmith+ has come in a year.
[First legitimate update on console in two years?]
We first reported on Piano Support, in 2022. Well, it certainly took long enough! Does the Subscription look more appealing to you now? Or are you still waiting to see how this all turns out? Let us know!
