Exclusive: Piano, Billy Joel, and Coldplay are coming to Rocksmith+

Originally posted on Video Games on Sports Illustrated
By Josh Broadwell | Last updated 10/2/23

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.’”

While Rocksmith+’s launch lineup was a point of contention, Schroeder says he feels confident in the starting selection of 300 songs, some of which are:

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)
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.

“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.”

This article first appeared on Video Games on Sports Illustrated and was syndicated with permission.

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