Green Day Rock Band Coming Way Before September Ends: June 8

Last year, both major music game series packed the last quarter of the year with releases.  Besides being tough on the wallet, it's hard to really get the most out of the games when they come so often.  This year, you'll have quite a while between the release of Green Day Rock Band on June 8, and Rock Band 3's "holiday" shelf appearance.

A few other tidbits are revealed in the release date announcement.  As expected, three part harmonies (a la The Beatles) are included.  All 47 songs on the disc will be exportable to your hard drive, and playable in Rock Band 1, 2, and 3.  No instrument bundles are planned, but a "Plus" version of the game will be available.  For an extra $10, you'll get a free export, special packaging, and the six previous Green Day DLC releases.  Those previous DLC songs will have added harmonies and new visuals.  Sounds like Green Day Rock Band will be the typical solid release we've come to expect from Harmonix.

Green Day, MTV Games, Harmonix and Reprise / Warner Bros. Records Unleash Green Day: Rock Band™ on the World June 8, 2010 Full standalone music video game experience features 47 exportable tracks, rare access to the Green Day media vault, artist likenesses and more!

New York – March 11, 2010 – Multi-platinum selling and Grammy® Award winning group Green Day, along with  Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), and Reprise / Warner Bros. Records today announced thatGreen Day: Rock Band™, the full standalone music video game experience that celebrates Green Day’s historic career and genre-defining albums will launch worldwide June 8, 2010, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Wii™ system from Nintendo. 

Green Day: Rock Band allows players to step onto the stage and into the shoes of Green Day, the multi-platinum, Grammy® Award-winning band that jump-started the punk-pop revival and has continued to pave the way for American rock music into the 21st century. Taking on the likenesses of Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, players progress through the story and history of Green Day, gaining access into the band’s media vault, where they can unlock more than 100 collectible images, and more than 40 minutes of rare and unreleased video from interviews, outtakes and performances. 

Featuring the three-part vocal harmony technology Harmonix introduced with the award-winning The Beatles™: Rock Band™, Green Day: Rock Bandgives players access to an incredible setlist of 47 tracks that span the band’s career including “Brain Stew,” “Jaded,” “Hitchin’ a Ride,” “American Idiot,” “Wake Me Up When September Ends” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”All 47 tracks are fully exportable, providing players with the opportunity to play the songs in Rock Band™, Rock Band 2™ and the recently announced Rock Band™3![1]  In addition, the six Green Day tracks already available in the Rock Band Music Store as downloadable content can be played in Green Day: Rock Band with added vocal harmonies, unique performance visuals, and exclusive archival material. 

Green Day: Rock Band pricing is as follows:

Green Day: Rock Band will be released simultaneously in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Wii. The game is compatible with all Rock Band™instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero® and other third-party music video game peripherals and microphones.

This latest Rock Band title aims to encapsulate the spirit and energy of a band that has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and been hailed as one of the best live acts touring today. Green Day has won critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Performance for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot and Record of the Year for their smash hit "Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” Earlier this year, Green Day released their eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, on Reprise Records. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, as well as on the Rock, Active Rock and Alternative charts, fueled by the alternative radio No. 1 single “Know Your Enemy,” and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.

Green Day: Rock Band is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

Green Day: Rock Band is published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) is serving as distribution partner for the game.