Warner Brothers has confirmed that it is infact working on a new Rock Band game that will feature Lego characters. The deal is already in place with Harmonix, MTV and the Lego Group, and the game will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and the DS handheld.
“Lego Rock Band combines two compelling properties and creates an experience that family members of all ages will enjoy playing together as a group,” said Tom Stone, managing director of TT Games (part of Warner).
“Harmonix and MTV Games are the world experts in music gameplay, and we’re genuinely thrilled to bring the unique and humour-filled Lego experience to their Rock Band universe.”
Bob Picunko, of MTV, added: “Harmonix and MTV Games are big fans of the Lego game franchise and excited to work with TT Games to develop a new take on Rock Band that focuses on great music and Lego humour that’s fun for the whole family.”
So far the only songs known are:
“Boys and Girls” (Good Charlotte)
“Kung Fu Fighting” (Carl Douglas)
“Song 2″ (Blur)
“So What” (Pink)
“The Final Countdown” (Europe)
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After confirming reports in October that they will be collaborating on a “brand new videogame featuring the music of the iconic Beatles,” The Beatles, MTV and Harmonix have announced that “The Beatles: Rock Band” will hit retail shelves on September 9th.
The game will be available on that date in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and will cost $60 USD for the game itself or $160 for new ‘Rock Band’ instruments similar to those used by the Beatles.
Apple Corp. added that the date, 9/09/09, was picked specifically to acknowledge the importance of the number 9 for the band.
MTV added that the game will “allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalog of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s legendary career.”
The game will be available on all three major consoles at launch, the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Sony Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii. As with previous Rock Band games, existing instruments will work flawlessly with the game.
The Beatles have sold more than 600 million albums worldwide but have never allowed their music to be available digitally.
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According to a WSJ report, Comcast and Time Warner are considering giving paying cable subscribers access to cable programming online, at no added cost.
Negotiations with content holders have been ongoing for months, and the report specifically notes Viacom and NBC Universal as being interested parties. Those companies own many of the most popular cable networks including TNT, USA and the MTV family.
The new Web services, which could launch as soon as the Q3 2009, should help attract new subscribers, says the cable companies although it will have to compete with free ad-supported sites such as Hulu and TV.com.
Sources familiar to the situation added that the “proposed Web services would likely be in a streaming format with ads, accessible in and out of the home, and without any additional charge to cable-TV subscribers.”
Brian Roberts, the chief executive of Comcast added, “online video is our friend, not our enemy.”
