Rocksmith 2014 has rocked out for the last time: Almost 10 years to the day after the acclaimed learn-to-play-guitar game debuted, Ubisoft has removed it from sale on all digital storefronts.
"Nearly 10 years ago we launched Rocksmith 2014 and set out on a journey of learning and playing guitar together, practicing old favorites, and discovering new ones along the way," Ubisoft announced on October 20, just three days ahead of the game's 10th anniversary. "We thank you for an incredible decade and know a big part of that was being able to feature officially licensed music to learn and play in Rocksmith 2014.
"Now as we approach that decade mark, we must remove Rocksmith 2014 for purchase from all digital storefronts as of October 23, 2023. DLC packs and Singles for Rocksmith 2014 will be removed from those storefronts over time as well."
Anyone who already owns Rocksmith 2014 will still have access to it, and any owned DLC, with "no change or interruption" in service. For those who want to rock but missed the opportunity, Ubisoft's subscription-based Rocksmith+ remains available—in fact, Ubisoft said it's "looking to introduce some of the biggest names in metal, rock, R&B, and more" to the game in the coming months.
Rocksmith 2014 really was quite good. It's earned a "very positive" rating on Steam over the years, and we called it "not just a fun game for guitar players, but the best way to learn how to play guitar or improve your technique" in our 91% review (via Metacritic). A remastered version released a couple years later added features including better practice tools and stat tracking, and the need for a "Real Tone Cable" to connect your guitar to your PC was eventually patched out too, making the software more easily accessible to players. And it boasted a huge library of music: 1,570 songs were available for it when DLC sales were finally halted in 2020.
Some of that Rocksmith 2014 DLC has already been removed from sale, and others will follow in waves over the coming months. If you're an owner and want to ensure you've got all the rock you can possibly handle, now's the time to browse the remaining catalogue and grab what you can.
Ubisoft didn't say why it was compelled to remove Rocksmith 2014 from sale. I would guess expiring licenses are the likely culprit (because that's what it usually is) but it's also possible that it wants to focus solely on Rocksmith+. Whatever the reason, to borrow a phrase from The Who, Rocksmith 2014 is dead—long live Rocksmith 2014.
