Anyway, I'm suddenly glad I started paying attention to the service, as a random glance at GameTrailers TV host Geoff Keighley's own Twitter feed just now revealed this interesting line.
At CES panel, Harmonix's Alex Rigopulos says they are focused on the Beatles game this year instead of a yearly RB release.
That doesn't entirely exclude the possibility of a Rock Band release this year; the wording might just imply the bulk of Harmonix employees are slaving away on the Beatles game, with perhaps a skeleton crew still putting together a new retail disc. But taking a year off would certainly fit with Rigopulos' comments in the past about Rock Band being an ongoing platform rather than a series of one-off sequels. I'm sure their gangbusters DLC business is turning a nice coin for them on its own at the moment, anyway.
We'll follow up with more definitive word as it comes.
UPDATE: Paidcontent.org has some more info out of that panel, with Rigopulos confirming the focus will be on growing the DLC library, which has already yielded a whopping 30 million song sales. Though he qualifies that with "I don’t think we’re going to be iTunes tomorrow." There's also this tidbit about a possible new peripheral.
Keyboards coming to Rock Band? Rigopulos told a questioner he wasn’t the first to ask if keyboards were coming to Rock Band. “The only answer I can give now is maybe.” As for the need to include a keyboard in the Beatles game for songs like Yesterday—“that has occurred to us.”
Innnnnteresting. Thanks to Sam Houston for the tip.