Now more than ever, we need Taylor Swift: Rock Band

After months of anticipation and sleuthing for clues by her fans, Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album is finally out in the world. The Tortured Poets Department continues the pop megastar’s seemingly endless wave of momentum, following up a busy few years filled with enormous stadium tours, a smash-hit concert film, several rerecordings of her old work, and a Grammy-winning album in Midnights. It feels like Swift has done it all by now, but there’s one final frontier she’s yet to take on: video games.

Swift’s music has popped up in a handful of games over the years, from Guitar Hero to Just Dance, but she’s never been at the front and center of a music game. Perhaps she would have been 15 to 20 years ago during the height of Guitar Hero mania, but Swift wasn’t quite at the top of the mountain yet. Now she’s perhaps the biggest star in the world. I say that a revival is in order.

It’s time for Taylor Swift: Rock Band.

Am I pitching this knowing full well how much it’ll piss some people off? Absolutely, and I have no shame in it. I’m not just trolling here, though. There’s a strong case to be made that such a concept wouldn’t just work, but potentially revitalize a dormant multiplayer series that’s long deserved a comeback.

• Fortnite Festival will leave you wishing for a real Rock Band revival

The Rock Band era

Let’s take a step back for those who weren’t around for a series that hasn’t been relevant in 15 years. Guitar Hero spinoff Rock Band was a sensation in the late 2000s. The music game let players jam along to a wide collection of songs using plastic drums, guitars, microphones, and even keyboards eventually. It wasn’t just the ultimate party game, but the ultimate music game too. The series was so popular that it allowed developer Harmonix to strike some pretty high-profile deals for sequels. That included 2009’s The Beatles: Rock Band and 2010’s Green Day: Rock Band, games that exclusively featured those artists’ songs.

While the series saw multiple