Rock Band heads to Japan with help from Q Entertainment

by Ross Miller { Jun 2nd 2008 at 2:00PM }

Harmonix and MTV are bringing Rock Band to Japan with some help from Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment (Lumines). According to the press release, "The two studios will work together to develop the title, marking the first US-originated rock music game to be heavily localized for the Japanese market." No clue on what that heavy localization will entail.

It has been little over a week since a Harmonix rep was asked about the possibility of seeing Japanese content in Rock Band. At the time, the rep said an official announcement on future DLC plans would arrive in "a little over a week." So, the question remains: How does one program instrument tracks for a Genki Rockets song?

Tags: breakingnews, harmonix, japan, mtv, q-entertainment, rock-band, tetsuya-mizuguchi

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Henry @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:04PM

Wanna finish the job you started in Europe first? I still haven't got my PS3 rockband!

Booxatron @ Jun 2nd 2008 5:44PM

I think they'd be better off if they just went in this direction.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mQi5yroE2GU

Booxatron @ Jun 2nd 2008 5:46PM

Meant to reply to jsn/nick ritch

I fail.

jsn @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:08PM

they just need to release this.... for the US as well.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z3kUAUqfD_M

Nick Ritch @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:15PM

Release THIS!!!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:10PM

If Beat Crusaders, Def Tech, Mad Capsule Markets, and Blue Hearts make the Japan release... Play-Asia shall see my money. Region Free PS3 FTMFW.

bearxor @ Jun 2nd 2008 9:14PM

Why would you do that? If history is any indication, Harmonix will simply release the Japanese songs on the Music Store.

Eggman @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:11PM

Why even bother. They aren't going to even dent what Konami's already got over there. The Japanese already have all sorts of peripherals for a game series that's already been doing this for 10 years.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:15PM

Because, unlike Konami's efforts, Rock Band will likely be licensing real music, unlike the Bemani strategy of using primarily lesser known artists with 1-2 established bands/songs.

The problem with most of the more popular "bands" in Japan is that they aren't bands. I hope to see a lot of Spitz.

Eggman @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:19PM

Guitar Freaks/Drummania have been like at least half licensed music for the last 4 years or something.

I'd also rather have the Konami artist songs. Then I actually got more of a variation of style. Jazz, prog, metal, pop, swing, it's all over the place. Not to mention it's harder and actually keeps me entertained because I'm not playing the same pattern over and over until those 30 seconds of solo time.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:25PM

I like SOME of the Konami music too, but in a game where I'm supposed to be pretending to rock out, you have to use actual established rock music. I don't care to pretend I'm some garage band.

Eggman @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:31PM

I really don't play for any sense of pretending I'm some ridiculous rock icon or in a band. I play the game because I find the game fun. I get that just as much from Rock Band as from Guitar Freaks/Drummania. I don't see why "established rock music" is any sort of requirement for a music game.

Even more, I really doubt Rock Band would have any impact because not only have they had home versions of GF/DM for a very long time (including a full arcade style controller for Guitar Freaks), the amount of machines in arcades in Japan will likely persuade them from investing in something that'll take up an incredible amount of space in the average Japanese household.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:37PM

I'm going to think the majority of the Rock Band players would disagree with you your rationale. Playing Rock Band is more fun to the masses when they "nail that riff from Enter Sandman" than it would be if they were "nailing that sequence from Paranoia."

You do have a semi-valid point about the house space, though. The friends I've visited have all had enough space to set up the drums, but all those people weren't living with a family under the same roof.

Kouheikun @ Jun 2nd 2008 8:26PM

I'm a bit skeptical about this ... I agree Harmonix should release Rock Band to the arcades and not individuals. But they'll need to vastly improve the hardware first. I snapped my bass pedal in two weeks, the pads didn't respond well to drum rolls. I haven't had problems with my second drum set, thankfully.

Of course, they'll have a bigger budget to work with since they can easily charge $10,000 for a machine. But hardware is still something Harmonix really needs to work on.

Ridgecity @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:13PM

I'm expecting tons and tons of anime song, and hopefully that bedbug that bites asses song... and of course, "I'm turning japanese"...

Tiptup300 @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:32PM

You do know what that song is really about?

Kyattsuai @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:19PM

Rock Band? Q Entertainment? This damn well better result in some Heavenly Star DLC.

Jonah Falcon @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:22PM

Any word if The Vapours are involved?

calvin @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:26PM

if bump of chicken, high and mighty color, and asian kung-fu generation are in it, i'm all over that version of rock band. wow this is great news. to me anyways.

Rootbeer @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:44PM

I look forward to the Boredoms DLC that requires you to own five drum kits and smash two guitar controllers together to play.

bendict M @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:55PM

Let's hope they take their winnign strategy of ramping up the price with each market they launch in

Let's see: U.S pack. game and instruments $170
Uk + Europe pack: Instruments without game : $ 260

So by my reckoning

Japan Pack: Half a wireless guitar and no game for $520

Bargain!