Audio Video News

In an ultimate battle of the bands, looks like the Beatles are making a virtual comeback. MTV Networks, the company behind the video game Rock Band, just announced a licensing agreement with the Beatles. Looks like the Beatles will be featured in an exclusive variation of Rock Band.

Considering the problems getting the Beatles' music into digital stores (haven't seen them on iTunes . . . yet) this is a breakthrough announcement. The folks behind Guitar Hero were also trying hard to get the Beatles' catalog for their competing game.

Considering that most of the folks who play Rock Band weren't even born when the Beatles were popular, this is an interesting development, but it could bring in a whole new demographic.

See who'll be involved in the development of the game.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have been itching for this, and Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison will be involved as well. This will be a stand-alone title, different from Rock Band, due out by the 2009 holiday season.

It hasn't been announced if the game will include the likenesses of the band members, but it will reflect the eras of the music stylistically.

In a story on MTV.com, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said, "It's not a Rock Band game," during a conference call, speaking for the MTV-owned studio behind the original Guitar Hero and the Rock Band series. "It's a new creative exploration of their music and a celebration of their legacy in a way that hasn't been done before." The developer added that it will be a "music-making game . . . There will be interactive performance of the music . . . and stuff you haven't seen from us before."

This is gonna be fun. -Leslie Shapiro

MTV News 

Photo: m.caimary