By Dan Gallagher
A new Beatles-themed "Rock Band" video game has been slated for
an early September release, marking the first time the iconic
band's music will be made available in the popular music game
genre.
In an announcement Thursday morning, Apple Corps Ltd. - which is
the business arm for the Beatles - along with Harmonix and MTV
Games, said "The Beatles: Rock Band" will hit the market Sept. 9.
The game will be available on the PlayStation 3 from Sony (SNE),
the Xbox 360 from Microsoft (MSFT) and the Wii from Nintendo
(NTDOY).
The game will be published by Harmonix and MTV Games, which is a
unit of Viacom (VIA). Electronic Arts (ERTS) has been named as a
distribution partner.
Development of the title was first announced back in October. At
the time, the game was not expected to carry the "Rock Band" brand.
Representatives for Apple Corps and MTV Games could not be reached
for immediate comment.
The move also marks the first foray into the digital world for
the Beatles. The band has so far kept its songs away from digital
distribution channels such as iTunes, though talks are said to be
on-going. The two surviving members of the band, Paul McCartney and
Ringo Starr - as well as John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and Olivia
Harrison, the widow of George Harrison - have all been involved in
conceiving the music game project.
-By Dan Gallagher; 415-439-6400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com