Fan Outrage Apparently Saves Rock Band iOS App
by Brent Dirks
May 3, 2012
Fans of the Rock Band iOS app can breathe easy. After word hit yesterday that the music game would be inoperable May 31, EA has (surprisingly) had a big change of heart.
When players opened the iPhone and iPod touch game Wednesday, they were greeted by an ominous pop-up that stated "Dear Rockers, On May 31, Rock Band will no longer be playable on your device. Thanks for rocking out with us!"
While coming from EA the message wasn't exactly shocking, it was a little mystifying. Unlike the Eliminate FPS app, players don't need an Internet connection to play Rock Band, and EA still was selling the game on the App Store with absolutely no warning of the shut down.
On top of the original cost, there were more than a few IAP's for songs that users could purchase to play with the app.
Speculation focused on the fact that EA wanted to steer users to the newer Rock Band Reloaded. But after the day of outrage, EA apparently had a change of heart and issued a statement directly to RockBandAide, which originally broke the story:
"Rock Band for iOS will remain live – the in-app message users received yesterday was sent in error. We apologize for the confusion this caused. We're working to clarify the issue that caused the error and will share additional information as soon as possible."And sure enough, users were greeted with another (pictured) in-game message today. For the really brave, Rock Band is $4.99 on the App Store. But I can't say I'd want to download the title after a stunt like this from EA. My best advice would be to go with Rock Band Reloaded if you really want to get rocking.