Today at Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft announced Rocksmith+, a new subscription service that teaches players how to play guitar and bass through their favorite songs. Building upon the award-winning Rocksmith method, which has helped almost five million people learn how to play guitar, Rocksmith+ will release Summer 2021 for Windows PC exclusively through the Ubisoft Store. Rocksmith+ will also launch on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 in Fall 2021. Rocksmith+ will be available on iOS and Android devices at a later date.
Compatible with acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, Rocksmith+ will start with thousands of songs and grow to millions more in the future, within genres spanning from rock, classic, indie, alternative, hip-hop, pop, metal, country, Latin, R&B, and more. At launch, Rocksmith+ will have a variety of authentic arrangements that represent songs the way the artists originally played them, and all songs in the library will be playable with chord charts for players to hum and strum to.
Users can take advantage of an entire suite of new and improved practice tools including Riff Repeater, wherein they can directly practice specific riffs in their favorite songs; and Adaptive Difficulty, wherein Rocksmith+ dynamically adjusts to a guitar player’s skill level while they play. These tools are designed to give guitar players control over their learning journey. Rocksmith+ will be available for $14.99 for a 1-month subscription, $39.99 for a 3-month subscription, and $99.99 for a 12-month subscription.
Developed by Ubisoft San Francisco, the team behind Rocksmith that provided guitar learning for over 10 years, Rocksmith+ is the only subscription service that offers interactive music learning using official song masters and powerful real-time feedback. 95% of Rocksmith guitar players have improved their skills, and Rocksmith+ builds on the proven method with new songs, learning modes, and practice tools to be added for years to come. In addition to improving their mechanics, users will also receive access to free online videos to learn about proper technique, music theory, gear, instrument care, and more.
In addition, users can play with an acoustic guitar or an electric instrument and amp using the Rocksmith+ Connect mobile app, which offers phone-as-mic technology. By pairing their mobile device with their PC or console, the onboard microphone can track their guitar – allowing them to play with no additional gear needed. Rocksmith+ is also compatible with consoles using the Rocksmith Real Tone Cable. For PC users, Rocksmith+ is compatible using the Real Tone Cable or existing guitar interfaces on electric and acoustic-electric instruments. Rocksmith+ is also partnered with Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, Ibanez, Ernie Ball, Ernie Ball Music Man, Marshall, Orange, and Mesa/Boogie.
Rocksmith Workshop, a new user-generated content system that allows users to add arrangements from a list of pre-licensed songs to the library, will bring the music community to the heart of Rocksmith+.
Mike Whitfield
I’m conflicted, as I do like Rocksmith. However, this is just another step into the Great Reset, where we own nothing and pay forever for whatever we want. On that basis, I’ll probably pass.