RELEASE DATE: Holiday 2009
PUBLISHER: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games
DEVELOPER: Traveller’s Tales and Harmonix (Xbox 360, Wii and PS3)
Traveller’s Tales and Harmonix in partnership with Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment studio (DS)
RATING: (Pending)
GENRE: Rhythm Based Music Game
PLATFORMS: Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment systemGAME OVERVIEW:
LEGO® Rock Band® merges two of the most popular videogame franchises to deliver a unique family-friendly music experience that will take tweens, teens, families and gamers of all ages on a wild journey to rock stardom in order to “Build a Band and Rock the Universe.” Combining the authentic multiplayer music experience of Rock Band® with the accessibility, customization and humor of LEGO® games, LEGO Rock Band allows players to create their own unique rock star style and customize their own avatars, band members, roadies, and managers. As players successfully complete songs and rock challenges, they can collect LEGO studs, unlock additional content and build amazing vehicles, which can take their band from local gigs at rock clubs to epic stadium shows and even fantasy settings on Earth and beyond.
Unique Experiential Journey Through The Beatles’ Career to Feature Introduction of Three-Part Vocal Harmonies, 45 Songs On-Disc and Reveal of First Downloadable Album, Abbey Road “All You Need Is Love” To Be Released Exclusively as Downloadable Song Through Xbox LIVE on 9/9/09 with Charity Proceeds to Benefit Doctors Without Borders New York – June 1, 2009 – Original band members Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, came together today to kick off the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit with the world premiere of The Beatles: Rock Band. The first-of-its-kind music-based video game offers a revolutionary tour of The Beatles’ music, career, and legacy. Presented by Apple Corps, Ltd., and MTV Games’ Harmonix Music Systems, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), The Beatles: Rock Band will be released worldwide on 9/9/09, as will the release of the entire, original, digitally re-mastered Beatles CD catalogue.
Unveiled at Microsoft’s E3 press conference, the game represents the first time fans will be able to experience The Beatles’ musical career for themselves. From the early touring days in 1963 Liverpool to the immortal, final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop, fans can follow in the band’s footsteps as they traverse the globe during the height of Beatlemania. Adding to the experience is the introduction of three-part vocal harmonies to game play, allowing gamers to revel in the unparalleled vocal stylings of the Fab Four. Beatles fans will also be thrilled to hear previously unreleased authentic voice recordings from John, Paul, George and Ringo chatting between takes during studio sessions recorded at Abbey Road more than four decades ago.
With some of the biggest rock artists and most prolific bands of all time, Guitar Hero® 5 is tuned for the ultimate shredfest as players prepare to join together and rock any way they want, with any combination of instrument controllers. Guitar Hero 5 features the most diversified set list to date, comprised of songs from some of the hottest bands of today to all-time favorite classic anthems, with music from a variety of genres including hard rock, classic rock, indie rock, metal and more. Get ready to shred, drum and wail with any in-game instrument combination as Guitar Hero announces the full list of artists and bands that will be offering up some of their greatest works to living room rockers everywhere. The complete list of artists and bands to be featured in Guitar Hero 5 when it hits store shelves on September 1, 2009 will include songs from:
Cambridge, Mass. – June 1, 2009 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced 22 tracks from artists including Alice Cooper, Taking Back Sunday, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Foreigner and Roy Orbison coming this week to the Rock Band®Music Store catalog of downloadable content for the Wii™ system.
Wii Rock Band 2 owners will gain access this week to three tracks from Long Island-based alternative rockers Taking Back Sunday, as well as six songs each from pop legend Roy Orbison and shock rock legend Alice Cooper.
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Cambridge, MA – May 29, 2009 – Metal lovers take notice! Harmonix Music, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc., today announced that 12 tracks from Iron Maiden, one of the world’s most successful rock bands, will be added June 9 to the Rock Band® Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Wii™ system.
The release of these downloadable tracks coincides with the U.S. release of Flight 666 on Blu-ray and DVD as well as a double-CD soundtrack album and limited edition double-vinyl picture disc. Flight 666 documents the first leg of Maiden’s legendary SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME WORLD TOUR, which took them 50,000 miles around the planet, playing 23 concerts on five continents in just 45 days. One of the stars of the movie is the band’s customized Boeing 757, Ed Force One, which carried the band, all their crew and 12 tons of stage equipment and was piloted by Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson, a fully qualified and active Airline Captain with Astraeus Airlines.
Live recordings of “Aces High,” “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” “Fear of the Dark” and “Iron Maiden,” featured on Flight 666, are among those available for download in the Rock Band Music Store June 9. The other eight songs were amongst those featured on the band’s Somewhere Back in Time World Tour during the first leg of which Flight 666 was filmed. This will mark the first time master recordings from Iron Maiden have been made available on Rock Band games.
Cambridge, Mass. – May 25, 2009 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced 25 tracks coming this week to the Rock Band® Music Store catalog of downloadable content for the Wii™ system, including hit songs from artists like David Bowie, The Police, The Zombies and industrial metal pioneers Ministry.
As previously announced, Wii Rock Band 2 owners will gain access this week to three tracks from Ministry, two classics from The Zombies and a single from The Cranberries. Additionally, 19 back-catalog tracks will be released for Wii in the Rock Band Music Store.
English rockers The Police have three tracks coming to the Wii Rock Band Music Store this week. “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Roxanne” from the 1978 album, Outlandos d’Amour, and “Synchronicity II,” from The Police’s last studio album, Synchronicity, released in 1983.
Also this week, back-catalog tracks from Airbourne, Devil Driver, Dream Theater, Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, Hinder, Bad Religion, The Cult and GLaDOS will be released, as well as cover tracks as made famous by The Monkees, David Bowie and Sweet. Wii music fans can also download tracks from Harmonix’s own Bang Camaro, Count Zero and Freezepop.
The tracks from Ministry, The Zombies and The Cranberries will be released simultaneously with the weekly content update for other consoles. The remainder of the tracks comes from the back catalog of Rock Band music already released to owners of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system. Wii fans can expect a rollout of previously released downloadable Rock Band content until the entire back catalog of more than 680 songs is available. With the addition of these tracks, there are now 169 tracks in the Wii Rock Band Music Store.
Cambridge, Mass. – May 22, 2009 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that three tracks from industrial metal pioneers Ministry will be added to the Rock Band®Music Store of downloadable content next week for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Wii™ system. Also coming in next week’s lineup is music from The Cranberries and The Zombies.
Ministry played together from 1981 until 2008 and, during this time, laid the foundation for American industrial metal. The “Ministry Pack 01” will feature “Cuz U R Next,” from The Wicked Soundtrack by Al Jourgensen, the Ministry frontman-scored soundtrack to the 2008 film, Wicked Lake, as well as “The Great Satan” and the Grammy-nominated“LiesLiesLies,”both from the band’s 2006 album Rio Grande Blood. This three pack marks Ministry’s first appearance in the Rock Band catalog.Also making Rock Band soundtrack debuts next week are 60s English rock band, The Zombies, and Irish alternative rock band, The Cranberries. “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No,” both from The Zombies self-titled 1966 album, will be made available, as will “Linger,” from The Cranberries 1993 album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? The song was named by VH1 as one of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.
Pepsi, Rock Band and MTV Team Up To Make You FamousSummer Promotion to Offer Music Fans Thousands of Rock Band Tracks and GamesFirst-Ever MTV Video Music Awards Moonman for Best Rock Band Music Video to be Awarded to Contest WinnerNew York, NY (May 20, 2009) – Today, MTV and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) and Pepsi announced a multi-platform “Drink Up, Rock Out” promotion that will give away thousands of Rock Band® DLC music tracks and games. Music lovers and gamers nationwide will be able to win prizes instantly and will have the opportunity to participate in the first-ever Pepsi Rock Band music video contest that will award one talented band a 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Moonman. The summer promotion begins June 2 and continues through the MTV Video Music Awards.As part of the “Drink Up, Rock Out” promotion, fans who see a Rock Band icon on specially-marked packages of 20-ounce and 1-liter bottles of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max and other Pepsi products are encouraged to look under the cap for a code and then go to www.pepsirockband.com to enter the code for a chance to win prizes. During the promotion, MTV and Pepsi will give away a Rock Band®2 Special Edition bundle every hour and thousands of Rock Band downloadable tracks each day. Additionally, fans can enter a weekly sweepstakes for opportunities to win a trip to a Harrah’s Entertainment property, Xbox 360 Consoles and other great prizes.
Cambridge, MA – May 19, 2009 — Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced the release of Rock Band® Track Pack™: Classic Rock. The standalone software is available now at retail stores nationwide for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Wii™ system. The suggested retail price for Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock is $29.99.
Featuring an outstanding mix of favorite classic rock hits, Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock features 20-songs from mega artists such as The Who, Rush, Boston, Police Steve Miller Band, George Thorogood and more!
Santa Monica, CA – May 18, 2009 – Guitar Hero continues to re-define the music and gaming experience this Fall with the release of Guitar Hero 5. Featuring the best variety and biggest rock stars of today combined with classic rock anthems, Guitar Hero 5 is the latest installment of the world’s most popular music game. For the first time ever, players can customize the make-up of their band by rocking with any combination of instruments in-game: whether it be two guitars and two drums, or three guitars and a microphone, any combination is possible, allowing players to experience music their own way. Brand new, innovative, easy-to-use gameplay modes like Party Play and RockFest put fun, competition and control at center stage as fans tailor the Guitar Hero experience to match their personal style and interests. For extended hours of entertainment, downloadable content from Guitar Hero® World Tour will be compatible with the game and will automatically be updated to include all of the upgrades and enhancements of Guitar Hero 5.*
SAN FRANCISCO – MAY 18, 2009 – The expert editorial staff at IGN.com (http://www.ign.com), the leading online videogames media outlet, today published its 2009 E3 Expo Predictions to offer the gaming industry and consumers alike insight into what they expect to be the big news at the industry’s premier trade show. Returning to its original large-scale format following a two year hiatus, the 2009 E3 Expo will take place June 2-4, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
“With more than 150 collective years of covering the videogames space, the IGN.com editorial team has incredible chops to make predictions about what will happen at E3,” said Peer Schneider, Senior Vice President of Content for IGN Entertainment. “Pulling from past company announcements, rumors and their own inside knowledge, our editors are going on the record for the first time to predict the most significant news and trends from this year’s show.”
Cambridge, Mass. – May 18, 2009 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced an onslaught of rock coming this week to the Rock Band® Music Store catalogue of downloadable content for Wii™ system, with 25 new tracks, including six songs from the eclectic and legendary Grateful Dead. This week’s music update also includes songs from The Knack, Coheed & Cambria, the B-52s, Buzzcocks, The Runaways, T-Rex, At the Gates, Evile and The Haunted. Wii Rock Band 2 owners will also gain access to tracks recently released to other gaming consoles, including Franz Ferdinand, The Allman Brothers Band, The Distillers, Prong, Luscious Jackson and Alien Ant Farm.
Wii fans can expect a rollout of previously released downloadable Rock Band content until the entire back catalogue of more than 670 songs is available.
Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Shania Twain and More Join the Rock Band Platform July 21, 2009
Cambridge, MA – May 12, 2009 — Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced plans for a July 21, 2009 North American release of Rock Band™ Country Track Pack™ for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, and Wii™ system from Nintendo.
“Rock Band loves country music too, and these tracks are among the most fun to play of any we’ve released to date,” said Paul DeGooyer, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music for MTV Networks Music Group. “We’ve received a ton of requests from fans to bring more country to the game, and our artist partners responded. We’re very excited to be able to offer this set, featuring some of the greatest songs ever recorded.”
Rock Band Country Track Pack is a standalone software product that allows owners of Rock Band® andRock Band®2 to keep the party going with 21 songs from an outstanding mix of country artists, including Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Rascal Flatts and the legendary Kenny Rogers. Many of the tracks will be exclusive to the Rock Band Country Track Pack disc for a limited time before joining the Rock Band® Music Store as downloadable content. Additional artists and songs from the track list will be announced in the coming months.
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Cambridge, Mass. – May 8, 2009 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that three tracks from American punk rockers Social Distortion will be added to the Rock Band®Music Store of downloadable content next week for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Wii™ system. Also coming in next week’s lineup is music from Steely Dan, Disturbed, Elvis Costello and The Replacements.
Social Distortion is recognized as one of the biggest names in American punk rock with six full-length studio albums to date and considerable commercial success. The “Social Distortion Pack 01” will feature “Ring of Fire” and “Story of My Life,” both from the band’s 1990 self-titled third album, and “Bad Luck” from the band’s fourth album Between Heaven and Hell (1992).Social Distortion made its Rock Band debut with “I Was Wrong” featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack.
Innovative DJ Hero Game Expected To Transform How Consumers Engage with Music * New Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero and Band Hero Expand the Category with Fun-to-Play Experiences and Innovative New Technologies and Features * Autumn Slate Delivers Largest Variety of Music and Hottest ArtistsThursday 7th May/… Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is set to once again revolutionise how consumers interact with music by releasing three new titles this fall – DJ Hero™, Guitar Hero® 5 and Band Hero™ – that will redefine the company’s popular music gaming platform. The slate will transform the way consumers enjoy and engage with music by offering the largest variety of music genres, innovative technologies and new social entertainment experiences for existing fans and millions of new consumers who previously have not joined Guitar Hero’s global community of fans.
• The company’s groundbreaking DJ Hero expands Guitar Hero’s signature social gaming to all-new consumers with the addition of diverse music genres including hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance. Introducing an all-new innovative turntable controller, DJ Hero transforms players into DJs who rule the club scene by creating original mixes of popular songs and music from the world’s most exciting artists and DJs.
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