MTV Games and Harmonix are likely overwhelmingly pleased to announce that North American sales of Rock Band have passed the $1 billion mark over the past 15 months, according to the NPD group.
$1 billion is a very large number. It's certainly large enough to put Rock Band at the top of the NPD's games by revenue list for 2008. Along with the announcement of this monetary milestone comes a heaping helping of stats, as PR people feel bad if their press releases don't reach a certain length. Did you know that there are 614 songs available for Rock Band right now, representing 269 different artists? How about the fact that more than 40 million songs have been purchased since the original game launched in November of 2007? Very impressive statistics. It almost makes me feel bad over the fact that they failed to pick up Stan Bush's "The Touch" and are now doomed to fail.
Check out the full list of statistics and awards Rock Band has accrued over the past year and a half below. It's something to remember them by.
Key Stats for the Rock Band Franchise
Sales
• Rock Band® franchise has officially surpassed $1 billion dollars in North American retail sales in 15 months, according to the NPD Group
• Rock Band was the #1 title of 2008 by revenue across all game genres (NPD)
Music / Downloadable Content
• 614 songs offered via the Rock Band platform, both on-disc and in-game music store, as of March 24, 2009
• 269 different artists / bands offered via Rock Band franchise as of March 24, 2009
• Over 40 million paid songs have been sold via download since Rock Band launched on November 20, 2007
• 11 albums released to date via the Rock Band platform including AC/DC Live, The Cars, Judas Priest, Pixies, Mötley Crüe, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth, Rush, No Doubt and Stevie Ray Vaughan, as well as special compilations from The Who, Nirvana, The Grateful Dead, Boston and more
Critical Acclaim
• Average Metacritic score of 92 [2] for both Rock Band and Rock Band 2
• Rock Band and Rock Band 2 have garnered more than 50 industry awards including:
• IGN's "Best Music/Rhythm Game of 2008"
• Gamespot.com's Editor's Choice Winner for "Best Rhythm / Music Game of 2008"
• Spike TV's 2008 Video Game Award Winner for "Best Music Game" and "Best Soundtrack in a Game"
• Gametrailers.com "Best Music and Rhythm Game 2008"
• PlayStation: The Official Magazine's "Best Rhythm Game of 2008"
• Yahoo's "Best Party Game of the Year – 2008" and named one of Yahoo's "Best Tech Products of 2008"
• G4 TV's X-Play "Best Music Game of 2008"
• Named as one of Entertainment Weekly's "Entertainers of the Year 2008"
• Called "Best party game of the year" by the Associated Press
• Named as one of USA Today's "Top Video Games of 2008"
• Cited as one of MSNBC.com's Top Video Games of 2008 and one of the Best Xbox 360 Games of 2008
• Heralded as "hands down the best party game ever" by Time magazine and named as one of Time's Top Video Games of 2008
Rock Band Franchise Innovations
• First full band music video game to hit consoles
• First music video game to offer export of content library from disc and cross compatibility of downloadable content (DLC) in sequel games.
• First music video game to offer weekly downloadable content (averaging more than 3 songs per week since its launch on November 20, 2007)
• Lead the way for full compatibility and interoperability between competing peripherals
• First music video game to allow for export of avatars and other game data to create real life merchandise
• First music video game to offer full albums as downloadable content: Judas Priest's "Screaming for Vengeance," released in June 2008
• First music game to offer a new song day-and-date with its release to radio, with Mötley Crüe's "Saints of Los Angeles"