European Price Cut Announced for Rockband Instrument Edition (Xbox 360)

[fitbabits]

Electronic Arts/MTV/Harmonix send word that a price cut for the European version of their venerable rhythm game Rock Band is now in effect:

Guildford, UK – September 8th, 2008 – Rock Band™ continues its European invasion as Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced a European price cut for the Rock Band Instrument Edition on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. In addition, Rock Band for the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems and Wii™ will ship to retail and will be available in the UK the week of September 8th, in France the week of September 15th, in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria and Luxembourg the week of September 22nd and in Spain the week commencing September 29th. The Instrument Edition of Rock Band will retail for €139.99 in Europe and £109.99 in the United Kingdom for the Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3 system, PlayStation®2 system and Wii™.
Click the headline to read the rest of the press release.

[fitbabits]

Full press release:

Guildford, UK – September 8th, 2008 – Rock Band™ continues its European invasion as Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced a European price cut for the Rock Band Instrument Edition on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. In addition, Rock Band for the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems and Wii™ will ship to retail and will be available in the UK the week of September 8th, in France the week of September 15th, in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria and Luxembourg the week of September 22nd and in Spain the week commencing September 29th. The Instrument Edition of Rock Band will retail for €139.99 in Europe and £109.99 in the United Kingdom for the Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3 system, PlayStation®2 system and Wii™.

Rock Band is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune, mastering lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. With more master recordings than any other music game, Rock Band features some of the world’s biggest rock artists and spans every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock to heavy metal and punk.

In addition to the 58 tracks from the North American release, Rock Band will feature nine additional tracks including:

• Blur “Beetlebum” (English)*
• Oasis “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” (English)
• Tokio Hotel “Monsoon” (English)
• Muse “Hysteria” (English)
• Les Wampas “Manu Chao” (French)
• Playmo “New Wave” (French)
• Die Toten Hosen “Hier Kommt Alex” (German)
• Juli “Perfekte Welle” (German)
• H-Block X “Countdown to Insanity” (German)

(*cover song)

In addition, Rock Band’s unprecedented library of more than 200 songs available for purchase and download to date in North America is now available in Europe for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION 3 system. All new Rock Band downloadable content will be available simultaneously in the US and Europe on a weekly basis. For a complete list of Rock Band songs available for purchase to date, please go to http://www.rockband.com/dlc.
I know a lot of our European readers have been holding off on purchasing Rock Band due to the initially high cost of entry - now's your chance.

[Lind]

It was released in sweden in the middle of the summer but I had already imported my copy from the UK. Any word on when the heck we are going to get RB2?

[Earth Djinn]

I'm more interested in the european release date for Rock Band 2.

[TrackZero]

What exactly is the "Instrument Edition" though? Is that one instrument? I only ask because I assumed the standard package was 3, and this different title may mean something else.

[fitbabits]

What exactly is the "Instrument Edition" though? Is that one instrument? I only ask because I assumed the standard package was 3, and this different title may mean something else.

The Instrument Edition (http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/5397984/Rock-Band-Band-In-A-Box/Product.html):


Includes microphone, drums and guitar (all wired)
Requires Rock Band game - sold separately
Break Out Your Axe - Shred on guitar and bass like never before with the all-new Fender Stratocaster replica guitar.
Bang The Skins - Play like a real drummer on a drum kit with four pads, a kick pedal, and real drum sticks.
Sing Your Heart Out - Take center stage on lead vocals and bring down the house on rock's greatest anthems.

[vash]

too little too late, fuck you ea, i'll see how the prices for gh will turn out ;)

[TrackZero]

too little too late, fuck you ea, i'll see how the prices for gh will turn out ;)

Saying too little too late shows a lack of understanding for RB as a platform, time is a non-factor. Feel free to keep playing an inferior brand's newest iterations and buying new plastic instruments every year out of some personal spite (that the company of individuals will never know/care about) and deny yourself good ol' fun. Way to stick it to the "man". ;)

[Morangie]

too little too late, fuck you ea, i'll see how the prices for gh will turn out ;)
£10 more (http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/5816993/Guitar-Hero-World-Tour-Band-Bundle/Product.html) for the bundle than the Rock band game (http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/3359267/Rock-Band/Product.html) and instruments (http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/5397984/Rock-Band-Band-In-A-Box/Product.html) sold separately. Lucky you waited, eh?

This price drop is only for the stupid really, Play and Amazon have been selling the instrument box for £99.99 since launch. And the £140 entry might be expensive but I've never once regretted it, not something I can say about the Wii.

[EvilTheBadger]

Saying too little too late shows a lack of understanding for RB as a platform, time is a non-factor. Feel free to keep playing an inferior brand's newest iterations and buying new plastic instruments every year out of some personal spite (that the company of individuals will never know/care about) and deny yourself good ol' fun. Way to stick it to the "man". ;)

Actually I do feel it's too little too late as well. £20 price cut still makes the whole bundle £150 at retail, that's over $260. Considering all that only cost $170 in the States on the release date almost a full year ago... well I apologise for not throwing a party.

[vash]

Saying too little too late shows a lack of understanding for RB as a platform, time is a non-factor. Feel free to keep playing an inferior brand's newest iterations and buying new plastic instruments every year out of some personal spite (that the company of individuals will never know/care about) and deny yourself good ol' fun. Way to stick it to the "man". ;)

i am not a fanboy of either game, i played both with a guitar, this is not about the game but the price policy in europe, i refuse to pay nearly double the price of the us release

[GigaFuzz]

So they drop the price of the old instruments, and announce a PS3/PS2 release date for the old game, just as new versions of both are about to come out in the US?

:rolleyes:

[vash]

just to connect this to another news post from earlier about the bad amazon rating for spore because of its DRM
the rock band rating on amazon.de is 2,5 stars with 19times 5 stars and 42times 1 star because of the pricepoint compared to the us

[Morangie]

i am not a fanboy of either game, i played both with a guitar, this is not about the game but the price policy in europe, i refuse to pay nearly double the price of the us release
You must have one empty fucking house if you refuse to buy things that cost more here compared to the US.

[vash]

You must have one empty fucking house if you refuse to buy things that cost more here compared to the US.

you must fail at reading comprehension *wohoo internet fight*

[EvilTheBadger]

In my opinion, ~ £140 for the whole instrument bundle + game is the price point Rock Band should have been released at over here. This is consistent with the markup we expect to pay for any product compared to US prices. Someone at EA obviously noticed the flagging sales (as a loose example, the painfully average Viking: Battle For Asgard has sold better - source: vgchartz) and decided to drum up a bit more business. It's bullshit, it's a band-aid over a broken dam.

I honestly don't understand it. Obviously they can't cut the price any more than that because it would be seen as admission of guilt, that they were actively trying to screw over early adopters, but they fucked up on day one. A decent price-point would easily have doubled their install base and there is massive money to be made in Rock Band DLC.