It's been just over a week since Harmonix officially announced Rock Band 4 as something that exists, after much speculation and wishful thinking from fans of the series. Since then, gamers have learned about plans for the title's instrument peripherals, as well as received a request platform for songs to help decide which songs make it into the game. As expected, a steady stream of details have continued to emerge and there doesn't appear to be any sign of stoppage on that front at anytime soon.

In a recent article in MCV, a UK games industry magazine, Harmonix Product Manager Eric Pope spoke with the outlet regarding his team's next-gen focus.

"[Harmonix] built a brand new engine for Rock Band 4 to make the most of the new hardware. It's going to look 'next-gen' with more realistic lighting, character models, and animation."

Pope also spoke to some of the longevity and evolution planned for the game, seemingly enabling the return of the infamous rhythm series to iterate on previous features as well as explore new additions to the game.

"It'll be 1080p and will run at 60fps. I know there's a vocal group of players that want to hear that. But what to me is more exciting is the online infrastructure of the consoles. It will open a lot [of] opportunities for us to support the game in more reactive, timely ways."

Separately, MCV states Rock Band 4 is now set to return this October, and widespread reports claim that Guitar Hero is also braced for return," however Harmonix has yet to confirm anything specific outside of its initial 2015 release window. There's also nothing confirmed regarding the return of Guitar Hero, though that's a safe prediction with Rock Band 4 on its way.

It appears that Harmonix is on a positive path with Rock Band 4, embracing the benefits of the current generation consoles and developing with the fans in mind. Knowing that it is taking advantage of the graphics power in the current hardware is a plus for the next installment of the franchise, and even better is how it intends to tap into the online features to keep the game evolving and supported.

What features and game modes would you like to see included in Rock Band 4? What songs are on your wishlist?

Source: VideoGamer