Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
MTV Disappointed With Beatles: Rock Band Sales In Europe
The hype for The Beatles: Rock Band seemed uncontrollable before the game's release last fall, but how did it end up performing overall? In Europe, at least, the answer is not as good as MTV had hoped.
Speaking to MCV, MTV general manager Scott Guthrie flat-out admitted, "We were expecting higher sales" of The Beatles: Rock Band in Europe. Guthrie believes this was due to a number of factors, including global economic problems:
“We got caught in a few things that happened last year. It was a tough economy; there was a lot of competitive products out there, and I think Beatles probably had softer sales than it would have if some of those things weren’t in play. Overall we were pleased with the sales. I think that we underestimated the competition and they took mind share away from us.”
Guthrie also mentioned the stiff competition from Activision's Guitar Hero franchise and Sony's SingStar games. He said that most consumers who want to play music games already have the instrument hardware by now, so it's just a matter of figuring out better ways to market and sell the actual software.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
