Harmonix plans on streamlining this process in the future. “How far we go in developing this feature will depend on your feedback, so tell us what you think and let’s make something awesome!” the studio says in a blog post.
The studio says their long-term goal is to make Community Maps easier to access from within the game itself, possibly by letting users download and rate maps without leaving the headset. “We strive to provide you with the best licensed music in our games, and we cannot jeopardize our partnership with the music industry by supporting or condoning IP infringement of any kind, including mods or customs that use and distribute copyrighted music without the proper licenses,” a Harmonix Discord mod says. A more laissez faire mod system, tantamount to how Beat Saber (2018) allows mods on PC, could land the studio in some unwanted trouble, the studio says. The new system was created to allow players to re-use Audica’s existent soundtrack, and while the studio calls it “the first step” in creating a more streamlined ‘Audica Creator Initiative’, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see official support for custom tracks. Harmonix has officially released tools and documentation that will help users modify beat maps for Audica (2019), the studio’s recently released futuristic ‘rhythm shooter’.
