A recent news story at IGN revealed that EA and Harmonix are hard at work on Rock Band 2, which ships for Xbox 360 in September and "other platforms" (the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, at least) later in the year. This gives Microsoft an exclusitivity window with the game for a couple of months, maybe even longer.
Early details are sketchy, but a few things were revealed with the game's announcement. First off, all downloadable content with the original Rock Band is compatible with Rock Band 2, and EA has assured that any future content downloads should work fine with both versions. No word yet if Rock Band 2 for the Wii will have downloadable content.
Get ready to continue the rock. (Screen taken from original Rock Band.)
The song selection will also feature all master recordings, a move set to counter a similar announcement made with Activision's Guitar Hero: World Tour a few weeks ago. It's not known which bands are involved with the sequel, but EA and Harmonix both promised something everyone will love.
Finally, new peripherals with improvements will debut alongside the game, although original Rock Band instruments should still work with the sequel. There's no word yet on what these "improvements" will bring to the table.
"As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we've now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans' requests and to build upon that foundation," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level."
More information on Rock Band 2 should be available at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo. Be sure to check back soon for more information and a preview.
Update: Harmonix and MTV Games have issued the official announcement on the wire now, and the release also reveals that over 15 million downloads have been paid for via the Rock Band music store. More than 200 tracks are available to purchase so far.
Rock Band Screens
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Rock Band allows gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, in addition to offering online connectivity.
Harmonix
Reader Comments (7)
I think its a shame that 360 is gona get it first. we all know they paid good money for that extra month
ill buy if u can use the instruments from the rock band 1
if it comes out in september i can wait and ask 4 it 4 christmas
so will you be able to use your old rock band stuff? even though the first guitar was crap..and wheres the green day and stuff
improvements to the instruments, how long will they last? especially since they decided to extend the instrument warranty until october
well, i doubt you'll have to pay that much if you already have the game -- you can just buy the actual software for $60 -- they have talked about wanting to keep it totally open platform...
oh great so im gonna have to ship out anoth 170 bucks, who ho