Australian Rock Band pricing revealed?

PS3 Rumour | Even the pricing goes up to 11.

While the rest of the world has been singing Rock Band's praises, Australia haven't even yet tuned up. We'll spare you the musical puns for the rest of the article, because we may have something for you to genuinely groan over: Kotaku has heard reports of the Australian Rock Band pricing.

According to sources 'across the retail sector', the game will be only available separately from the instrument peripherals, and will retail for a recommended price of $120. The instruments will be available to purchase separately, or in a 'hardware kit' bundle. There's no word yet on the pricing for the drums and microphones, but the guitar will apparently cost $110 individually. The hardware bundle will be priced, accordingly, at $290. All up, to buy the game and the complete set of instruments will cost $410. In comparison, the US gamer currently pays US$169 for the game and hardware, while the British get the lot for £180. If the rumours are correct and the Australian game and hardware cost an accumulative $410, that will make it slightly more than double the US amount, and $40 or so more than the UK price.

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61 Comments

revival

3 years ago

hmmm.. ouch?

DancesInUnderwear

3 years ago

Ridiculous. Bring on Guitar Hero. Just make it quick and a decent price and you win Activision (deservedly so... **** year long delays).

redemption

3 years ago

arn't the early reports about the GH world tour pricing suggesting it will be more expensive then Rock Band.

Thats a steep price though, and its complete BS that there selling the game and instraments separatley.

ZNMS

3 years ago

What on earth is Electronic Arts doing? Everyone knows that the game and equipment need to packed together in the same box. Just look at the Guitar Hero, EyeToy, SingStar and Buzz! bundles. Each has a copy of the game and the items required to play the game. No matter what the price, people are happy as you get what you need in the one box.

This type of retail strategy is equal to a consumer purchasing a console. However, the customer would only get the box. The controllers, the cables and power supply would be sold separately.

azazelx

3 years ago

Looks like I'll be skipping this one, then. Also looks like they've priced it knowing that the instruments will be too hard for us to import from o/s directly due to massive shipping costs.

Psy Storm

3 years ago

Since when is $410 slightly more than double $169?

IISpacebreakII

3 years ago

Yeah that sucks, as if people are going to pay for this when it costs as much as a console. Is this like the most expensive game ever?

With prices like that it should be band

>> sorry

G3ck0

3 years ago

Not surprised, as I read this a few months ago. I was hoping it was wrong though.

Benza

3 years ago

hahaha

No

shiraj

3 years ago

guitar hero world tour - hope that pack is cheaper...

Tom101007

3 years ago

i wonder whos idea this was, do they really expect to sell the game with a price like that?, for a single game that is way to much and you would think that they would realise that no consumer would pay that much for a single game, it is so far from competitive pricing that it just seems unfeasibly high. A price like this effectively kills the game and i dont know if they are stupid enough to do that, the hype apart from being dead after all those delays is not enough to get people to spend that much

Jaws

3 years ago

Are EA just seeing how deeply they can ream us before we start to squirm? It's been one jab in the ass after another for us. This is beyond the last straw as far as I see the already FUBAR'd Rock Band situation..

It astounds me that this is how much they charge for Rock Band, which has already been out for an embarassingly long time. How much will they charge for the sequel!?!! Is that what EA plan to do? Starve us into allegedly wanting the game so bad and then charge through the roof? We aren't idiots and I've gotta say I'm beyond disgusted..

These figures are nothing short of an insult and honestly gives Rock Band no hope in hell of even getting into people's homes. Let's hope that the promise that is Guitar Hero World Tour can one up them for everyone's sake... or else I'll stick with the original Guitar Hero titles and just sing in my car if I feel the need to pretend im a rock star...

Vervain

3 years ago

Now watch Activision laugh in the face of EA and undercut the price.

Passa

3 years ago

Vervain wrote

Now watch Activision laugh in the face of EA and undercut the price.

Now watch the opposite happen. Do you really think people care about our region?

Anyway, I find it funny how Rock Band wants to be the new Guitar Hero, yet it has no intention of even putting up a fight in PAL regions at all. A global brand can't just exist in North America idiots.

Rabscallion

3 years ago

^ The Baseball world series can

Jaws

3 years ago

NASCAR sure can..

Seriously though. A global 'brand' can exist in one region if it generates enough capital to make it float. Rockband made a killing in the US, otherwise EA would be rushing to ship it everywhere else. Instead, they placed 80% of focus on the US and even ordered Harmonix to get to work on a sequel to further keep the EA war machine turning the dollar..

The worst thing that happened to the consumer was the falling out between Harmonix and Red Octane. If they had stuck together, none of this mess would have resulted!

Samboy

3 years ago

Blink wrote

^ The Baseball world series can

japan?

Lord Haart

3 years ago

Ok guys, EA has finally gone mad with greed and is now biting off it's customer base like a rabid dog knawing at it's own legs.

Ok, either this is being imported, or I'm building my own bloody rock game. Hiring out a company to make the thing would be cheaper than those prices.

And just when I thought EA finally was cluing in with Mirror's Edge. Seems like DICE is still their sole quality studio.

Anyone who buys Rock Band or any of the peripherals at that price deserves neither their money nor the game.

EA, you make me

Emuaust

3 years ago

I was under the understanding that mtv where actually going to be selling it here and EA where no more then a publisher for the Aussie market on this one.

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

Well i am not paying more than a console price for one **** game....
(but then again wii music...)

And besides that, no matter how badly i want this game or how good it is, i refuse to buy it now regardless......
stick your prices, your delays and your contempt for this market squarley up your arse.

Toastfarmer

3 years ago

Srsly guys just import. I paid $365 for the entire bundle, and $125 of that was postage making what I paid for the game a rather small $240ish. There are guys on Ebay selling Rock Band specifically for Australians and Europeans who can't get it.

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

i dont want it now for $12.50......we shoudn't just cop this on the chin, i don't think anyone should buy it otherwise they get the message that its the best idea they ever had, this will be probably the first time where my disappointment outweighs my gaming addiction.

StompBrother

3 years ago

A bit ridiculous, especially since Rock Band 2 is due to hit the US later this year with wireless peripherals. Imagine what they would charge for those "premium" items. I'm sticking with Guitar Hero.

I think Konami was right to criticize both Harmonix and Activision for making controllers that is not compatible with other similar games.