Harmonix and MTV Games Make Major Music Announcements at Gamescom 2009

Harmonix and MTV Games Make Major Music Announcements at Gamescom 2009

Details for the Three Downloadable Albums Coming to "The Beatles(TM): Rock Band(TM)" Music Store Revealed "All You Need Is Love" Available on 9/9/09 for $1.99 Tracks from Queen, Nirvana, Tom Petty, Elton John, Iggy Pop, The White Stripes, Pantera and More Coming Soon to the "Rock Band(TM)" Platform Rock Band Catalog Surpasses 800 Songs Available to Date Scheduled to Hit 1000 Songs by Holiday 2009

COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Speaking at Gamescom 2009, Alex Rigopulos, CEO and cofounder of Harmonix, the world's leading developer of music-based games and a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , today confirmed release details for the three Beatles albums that will be available for purchase as downloadable content in The Beatles(TM): Rock Band(TM) Music Store by the end of this year. Abbey Road will be released on October 20, 2009, followed by the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in November and Rubber Soul in December.

Additionally, Rigopulos revealed that tracks from Queen, Nirvana, Tom Petty, Elton John, Iggy Pop, The White Stripes, Pantera, Talking Heads, Korn, The Raconteurs and more will be among the artists coming to the various offerings across the Rock Band(TM) platform. With over 800 songs available to date via the Rock Band catalog and 1000 by end of 2009, the billion dollar selling and genre-defining Rock Band franchise continues to be the gold standard in music video games by completely dominating its closest competition with its massive music library, weekly downloadable content and artist offerings, innovation, and superior gameplay (Rock Band 2 average metacritic score: 92). With its leadership stance on music game peripheral compatibility, disc and DLC export, the recently announced Rock Band Network and the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band, music fans will need to look no further than the Rock Band platform to satisfy all their music video game appetites.

Details for downloadable albums coming to The Beatles: Rock Band Music Store are as follows:

   Abbey Road (1969)   Release Date:  October 20, 2009   Pricing:   $16.98 (or 1360 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for album   $1.99 (or 160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for individual tracks    --  "Come Together"   --  "Something"   --  "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"   --  "Oh! Darling"   --  "Octopus's Garden"   --  "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"   --  "Here Comes The Sun"   --  "Because"   --  "You Never Give Me Your Money"   --  "Sun King"   --  "Mean Mr. Mustard"   --  "Polythene Pam"   --  "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"   --  "Golden Slumbers"   --  "Carry That Weight"   --  "The End"    --  "Her Majesty"   

In addition, purchasers of the full album download of Abbey Road will have the option to play the famous 16-minute B-side medley as a single continuous track. The medley includes "You Never Give Me Your Money," "Sun King," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Polythene Pam," "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End."

   Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)   Release Date:  November 2009    --  "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"   --  "With A Little Help From My Friends"   --  "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"   --  "Getting Better"   --  "Fixing A Hole"   --  "She's Leaving Home"   --  "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite"   --  "Within You Without You   --  "When I'm Sixty Four"   --  "Lovely Rita"   --  "Good Morning Good Morning"   --  "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"    --  "A Day In The Life"    Rubber Soul (1965)   Release Date:  December 2009    --  "Drive My Car"   --  "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"   --  "You Won't See Me"   --  "Nowhere Man"   --  "Think For Yourself"   --  "The Word"   --  "Michelle"   --  "What Goes On"   --  "Girl"   --  "I'm Looking Through You"   --  "In My Life"   --  "Wait"   --  "If I Needed Someone"    --  "Run For Your Life"   

As previously announced, "All You Need Is Love" will be released Sept. 9, 2009 for the standard Rock Band DLC pricing of $1.99 (or 160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360), exclusively through Xbox LIVE for a limited time as a downloadable song for The Beatles: Rock Band, with Apple Corps Ltd, MTV Games, Harmonix and Microsoft proceeds benefitting Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

The Beatles: Rock Band downloadable content will be available for purchase on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360, PlayStation Network and via the in-game The Beatles: Rock Band Music Store for Wii(TM) using Wii points purchased through the Wii Shop Channel.

In conjunction with the release of the entire, original, digitally re-mastered Beatles CD catalogue, The Beatles: Rock Band will be available Sept. 9, 2009, simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), and the Wii(TM) home videogame console from Nintendo. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero and other authorized third-party music video game peripherals and microphones.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and was developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

For more information on The Beatles: Rock Band, as well as art and video assets, please visit http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/press.

For more information on Rock Band(TM)2 and the Rock Band Music Store www.rockband2.com and www.rockband.com/music. For more information on Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.harmonixmusic.com.

About Apple Corps. Ltd.

Apple Corps Ltd. was founded by The Beatles in 1968 to look after the group's own affairs. The London-based company has administered the catalogue of The Beatles releases of the 1960s that have sold to date more than 600 million records, tapes and CDs. Since the 1990s, Apple has piloted new Beatles projects that have become benchmarks for pioneering accomplishment and which have included The Beatles Anthology projects, the 28-million selling album The Beatles 1 and The Beatles LOVE show and CD. Further information on The Beatles' projects can be found at www.thebeatles.com.

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, LOGO, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, Addicting Games, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Aton, GameTrailers and Xfire.

About MTV Games

MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of ground-breaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For more information please visit: www.harmonixmusic.com.

About Electronic Arts Inc.

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA(TM), EA SPORTS(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com/.

2009 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Harmonix, Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., an MTV Networks company. Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and The Beatles: Rock Band are developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. MTV: Music Television, MTV Games and all related titles and logos are trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Guitar Hero is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation" "PLAYSTATION" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

'Hofner ' and the design of the Hofner bass guitar are the trademarks of KARL HOFNER GmbH & Co. KG, Germany. All rights reserved.

Ludwig is a registered trademark of Conn-Selmer, Inc.

Rickenbacker, the Triangular Name Crescent Design, and logotypes are among the trademarks and service marks in the United States and other countries of Rickenbacker International Corporation.

GRETSCH, BIGSBY, and DUO JET are the trademarks of Fred W. Gretsch Enterprises, Ltd. and used herein under license. All rights reserved.

The photo of The Beatles from "A Hard Day's Night" is part of the private collection of, and appears courtesy of, Mr. Bruce A. Karsh.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: MTV

CONTACT: For MTV Games / Harmonix: Jeff Castaneda, +1-212-846-6774,
jeff.castaneda@mtvstaff.com; or Mariana Agathoklis, +1-212-846-5755,
mariana.agathoklis@mtvstaff.com

Web Site: http://www.mtv.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment