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Rock Band dev Harmonix has moved to appease PS3 owners angry at the game’s European timed Xbox 360 exclusivity by revealing it is working with Sony to make the PS3 version “sing”.
Yesterday we brought you the news that Rock Band, which is really rather excellent, will be coming out on Xbox 360 on May 23, with other platforms having to wait until the summer.
The news has sparked an outcry from angry PS3 owners who feel aggrieved at having to wait longer than 360 owners for a game that has already been out in the US since November 2007.
When asked by VideoGamer.com in an interview published elsewhere on the site if he had any message for PS3 owners, Rob Kay, director of design at Rock Band developer Harmonix, said: “We want to say that while we’ve got this MS period of exclusivity on their platform just for a little while, when the PS3 version comes out it’s identical. You’re going to have exactly the same experience with all the downloadable content. The whole Rock Band experience is there and it’s fully fleshed and fully blown.”
He added: “We’ve worked really closely with Sony to make sure that, you know we’ve been able to do that in the States, and we’re working with them at the moment to try and make sure that in Europe we can make it sing on the PS3 as much as possible. We love all the platforms. This is not us having a beef with any platform, we just want to get the Rock Band experience out there so people can enjoy it. It’s coming.”
The game has also caused outrage at its UK pricing – a whopping £180 if you want to play the game the way it’s meant to be played, with a guitar, a drum kit and a microphone. Online anger has been exacerbated by the fact that in the US the equivalent package is almost £100 cheaper.
Yesterday Kay told VideoGamer.com that the developer understands the reaction and pointed towards “a myriad of little differences that all add up” as explanation of the higher cost.
For more on Rock Band, including Harmonix’s dispute with Activision and why Guitar Hero guitars won’t work on the game, be sure to check out the first part of our in-depth interview with Rob Kay.
What do you think PS3 owners? How do you feel about Rock Band’s timed Xbox 360 exclusivity? Let us know in the comments section below.
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