Cambridge, MA – October 6, 2008 - Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game development company, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today the opening of a new specialty shop at RockBand.com where Rock Band® 2 enthusiasts can create and order customized merchandise featuring their in-game Rock Band® characters and bands.
“The products we will be offering through the Rock Band store go far beyond standard videogame fare and encourage Rock Band players to live in the real world of rock,” says Ryan Lesser, art director at Harmonix. “Just like with real bands, Rock Band bands need their own schwag too, so we’re giving Rock Band musicians a chance to order personalized t-shirts, posters, bumper stickers and more that are sure to keep any fan happy.”
The new Photo Creator, designed by Harmonix, makes it easy to create images of your Rock Band 2 characters and bands; just simply pose your characters, add back drops and visual effects, shoot the photos and assign the game-quality 3D images to your band pages and personal profile on RockBand.com. In addition, MTV Games and Harmonix have partnered with Zazzle®, a company that specializes in on-demand customizable printing for apparel and accessories, to offer players the opportunity to use images captured with the Photo Creator tool and upload them using the Merch Booth tool onto a variety of T-shirts, posters, stickers and more!
MTV Games and Harmonix have also partnered with Z Corporation®, a company that specializes in 3D printing and manufacturing, to offer collectible Bandmates™—detailed 6” figurines automatically generated from players’ personalized in-game avatars. Using the Bandmate Creator tool, designed by Harmonix, players can customize their character’s pose before ordering the figurine. Pricing for individual Bandmates is $69; a great value at nearly half the price of other made-to-order figurines available on the market.
Pricing details for customized Rock Band 2 merchandise are as follows:
- Bandmates™ (Detailed 6” Figurines) $69
- T-Shirts $29
- Posters $14
- Stickers (sheet of 6) $5
- Bumper Sticker $4
- Key Chain $3
- Button $2
**Shipping and handling not included in prices above
The RockBand.com store will also offer a large selection of band gear and clothing that features original art from Rock Band’s surreal shell design; merchandise that is only worthy of a touring Rock Band musician.
Released on September 14, 2008 for the Xbox® 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Rock Band 2 has revolutionized music gaming with the ability to export most of the songs from the original Rock Band disc [1], Online World Tour, daily Battle-Of-The Band Tournaments, Auto-Calibration to eliminate TV lag, wireless drums, quieter, velocity sensitive drum heads, support for up to three cymbals (sold separately), No Fail Mode, and a real Drum Trainer.
Rock Band 2 features the largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame to date including over 100 songs [2] on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack with an unrivaled blend of classic and new artists including AC/DC, Guns ‘N Roses, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Motorhead and more! With the addition of complete and immediate backwards compatibility for songs purchased from Rock Band’s ever-expanding online music store and the ability to export most songs from the original Rock Band disc, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs [3] by year’s end. Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen with descriptors of lyrics and suggestive themes by the ESRB.
Rock Band 2 is now available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft with an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for other platforms later this year. For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.
All information contained in this news post comes directly from a press release sent out by Harmonix.
