The Beatles: Rock Band Game Coming In September

If you want to learn more about The Beatles, but don't have the means to obtain a Masters degree in the British rock group at Liverpool Hope University, a cheaper and less intellectual option will soon be available.

A Beatles version of the Rock Band video game will be released for various formats on Sept. 9.

It's not known what songs will appear in the game, which marks the first time The Beatles and their music publishers — EMI Music, Harrisons Ltd. and Sony/ATV Music Publishing — will make their repertoire available in such a fashion.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii and will carry a $59.99 list price in the U.S. A version with stand-alone guitars will cost $99.99 and the limited edition premium bundle will go for $249.99.

The instruments are modelled after those played by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, but the game will be compatible with existing Rock Band instruments and peripherals. McCartney, Starr, Lennon widow Yoko Ono and Harrison widow Olivia Harrison were involved in conceiving the project.

McCartney recently told Entertainment Weekly the game "will feature different periods of the band — you get early days, Liverpool, then psychedelic, and on from there. It's very cool."

Giles Martin, the son of longtime Beatles producer George Martin and the co-producer of the Grammy Award-winning Love production with Cirque Du Soleil, will be the game's music producer.

Apple Corps Ltd., MTV Games and Harmonix are behind The Beatles: Rock Band, which will be distributed by Electronic Arts. No pre-order date has been set, but the manufacturers are promising exclusive content for those who take advantage of it once it has. A website has been set up for the game, but there's little of use there at the moment.