When Harmonix and Apple Corps announced The Beatles: Rock Band a few weeks ago complete with a $250 price tag, gamers and industry folk alike were left scratching their heads at the lofty price point.
The software itself will sell for $60 across the board, upping the normative $50 price tag set on Wii titles and capping at $250 for the premium edition bundle.‚ Hardly chicken scratch, given these economic times.
One man who believes the heavy cost is well warranted is Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of GameStop, the nation’s largest retailer to carry the title.
When GameStop’s McKenzie was asked about the title and Wii price point in particular, he noted:
“It’s gonna be interesting, but again seeing the demo of that product — I’m not a huge Beatles fan, but after I saw the demo and the Harmonix band got up there and they did that for us, I was ready to go out pre-order the $250 SKU.”
McKenzie believes The Beatles: Rock Band packs more added value than recently released band-specific titles.‚ And while none were specified, he must have been referencing Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, and the soon to be Metallica version.
“It’s just got that much value to it, and I think it’s entertaining because it’s not just another guitar product or another version of Rock Band; it’s actually got some of the cutscenes and some of the added material from the band and from that era.”
While no official announcement has been made regarding exclusive, never before released Beatles tunes finding their way onto the title, George Harrison’s son Dhani recently revealed that the game will include material “that has never been heard, never been released.”
The GameStop exec concluded by noting:
“That kind of adds the value when you’re looking at, say, the $60 or even stepping up to a $250 product for the complete kit. I think they got the right combination of putting a quality product together with some added value — additional content — and really making that compelling for the consumer.”
Dare I go against the almighty GameStop by saying Guitar Hero: Metallica is the game so, so many music and video game lovers have been waiting for, and not the lighthearted, everybody wins mentality of the Beatles?‚ Time will tell.
Head on over to GamaSutra for the full story.
Leave a Reply