Rock Band Will Not Meet Holiday Demand, says EA

Other than the console war itself, one of the biggest battles this holiday season will undoubtedly be the battle of the bands between Activision's/RedOctane's Guitar Hero III and EA's/MTV's Rock Band.

While Guitar Hero III recently hit store shelves this past weekend, music fans and gamers will have to wait until November 19 for Rock Band to make its debut. EA CEO John Riccitiello isn't concerned about the brand power of Guitar Hero or the several weeks head start by Guitar Hero III. In a conference call following the recent financial results, Riccitiello noted that the battle in the music category is "not a sprint."

He said that even though they've got "a lot of inventory," he's not anticipating EA/MTV being able to meet demand here or in Europe this calendar year or even this fiscal year through March. The game, which retails for $169 on Xbox 360 and PS3 (it ships on PS2 for $159 in Dec.), is "one hot product", said Riccitiello. He advised consumers that unless they "wait in line outside their favorite retailer" on November 19, they're going to have a very hard time finding the game this holiday season.

The battle between Rock Band and Guitar Hero III is sure to be fierce. In a special feature published on GameDaily BIZ this past August, Will Kassoy, Activision's senior vice president of global brand management, said that Guitar Hero has far more recognition and is more accessible.

Meanwhile, Frank Gibeau, President of the EA Games label, thinks the whole band concept gives Rock Band an edge. "I like our, Harmonix and MTV's chances and we're going to take it to them. This is the type of situation that we relish," he said.