Harmonix, MTV, EA Launch Rock Band In Europe

Harmonix, MTV and distributor EA have announced the launch of Rock Band for the Xbox 360 across Europe, currently limited to the UK, France, and Germany due to stock issues. Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 versions of the game are also scheduled for “later this summer”. In a move that has proved somewhat contentious with potential European purchasers, the Rock Band disc is sold separately from the required instrument peripherals for £49.99/€69.99 ($98/$110). An “Instrument Pack” containing a guitar, drum, and microphone controller is available for £129.99/€169.99 ($256/$267). Each peripheral is also sold individually, with wireless guitar controllers selling for £59.99/€79.99 ($118/$126) and drum kit controllers for £69.99/€89.99 ($138/$141). No plans have yet been announced for a single bundle including all the peripherals and software, as was the case in North America. The European version of Rock Band features the 58 tracks from the North American release as well as nine new songs, three of them aimed at the British market (Blur “Beetlebum”, Oasis “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and Muse “Hysteria”), two at the French (Les Wampas “Manu Chao” and Playmo “New Wave”) and four at the German (Die Toten Hosen “Hier Kommt Alex”, Juli “Perfekte Welle”, Tokio Hotel “Monsoon” and H-Block X “Countdown to Insanity”). All nine songs have been recently released in the U.S. as purchasable downloadable tracks for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Rock Band’s North American downloadable library of over 110 songs has also been made available to gamers in Europe. Each track can be purchased and downloaded for 160 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. All new Rock Band downloadable content will be available simultaneously in the U.S. and Europe on a weekly basis.