Harmonix has announced that support for the Rock Band Network has ended.
In a post on the studio's forums, the developer confirmed that support for the service – which featured user-made tracks for use with the game – is to officially cease after four years and more than 2,000 songs.
The studio said technical issues, which have plagued the network since DLC support ended in April 2013, were partly responsible for the decision.
"At this point, with Harmonix resources devoted to several other titles in development, we're no longer able to operate RBN with the kind of consistency that it deserves," the studio commented. "As a result, we will no longer be taking any submissions or releasing new content through RBN."
Looking back at the Rock Band Network's legacy, Harmonix remarked:
"When the crew here at Harmonix first started developing a tool that would allow Rock Band fans, artists, and labels to put their own songs into Rock Band we had no idea that it would spawn a community that was nothing short of ravenous in their pursuit of new tracks.
"Even if we had been able to anticipate the level of enthusiasm, we certainly couldn't have predicted that the RBN authors would generate a body of work that so quickly eclipsed the official Harmonix output."
Songs which have previously been made available for sale will still be purchaseable through the RBN. In a FAQs section, Harmonix asked itself whether this means the end for Rock Band:
"This is the last planned announcement for Rock Band Network for now. Rock Band remains a huge part of the culture here at Harmonix, and there's not a day that goes by where someone in the office isn't talking about Rock Band, or planning for the future of the franchise."
Harmonix has previously stated that they have "grand plans" to bring Rock Band to current generation consoles.
