MTV Games Announces Rock Band 2

Play-along music game Rock Band is still selling strong, and MTV Games has announced a some details about Rock Band 2.

Back in the old days, collaboration between the video game and music industries used to be limited to the selection and crafting of soundtracks, but with the seemingly unstoppable popularity of franchises like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, the industries seems to have hit upon a formula for success: spawn new game titles, and encourage fans to continue purchasing music content for their games.

To that end, MTV Games does not intend to let its Rock Band franchise rest on its laurels, announcing that Rock Band 2 will initially be available for the Xbox 360 platform this September—with PlayStation 3 support coming later in 2008—and that the title will be full compatible with both the original Rock Band instruments as well as the downloadable add-on songs for the first Rock Band game. Rock Band 2 will be developed by Harmonix, the same folks who spawned the original Rock Band game as well as the Guitar Hero franchise.

“As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we’ve now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans’ requests and to build upon that foundation,” said Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos, in a statement. “Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level.”

Although the announcement was short on specific details—including whether there were any plans to support the Nintendo Wii—MTV Games is promising Rock Band 2 will support the “biggest and most diverse” soundtrack, composed entirely of master recordings, major new online modes that will engage Rock Band players both locally and around the world, along with new controllers and peripherals, including add-ons for drums and guitars—all of which will be compatible with original Rock Band instruments. No pricing information was announced.

MTV Games and Harmonix plan to announce additional details about Rock Band 2 at the E3 gaming trade show later this month in Los Angeles.