Rock Band team tells UK gamers to stop grumbling

The game is "not magically going to get cheaper because you wish it to be so"

11 April 2008 14:04 GMT / By Katie Scott

It seems that the Rock Band team don't want to step away from the rather large hole they've dug with angry UK customers. Oh no - they seem to want to dig a bigger one.

The game is launching in the UK on 23 May but British gamers are throwing tamtrums over a £100 pan-Atlantic price difference for the game and instruments.

In initial interviews, execs from the game's developer, Harmonix, held up their hands and said they didn't know much about it.

However, now, the company's product development manager, Greg LoPiccolo, has posted in one of game's forums.

And he not only says that the price isn't going to come down in the UK despite malcontent, but that British gamers should just get over it.

He stated that the game is "not magically going to get cheaper because you wish it to be so".

LoPiccolo writes: "We're not making a killing on Rock Band in Europe. We are incredibly sensitive to pricing issues. We are painfully aware that the higher the price we charge, the less copies we'll sell".

"We are strongly motivated to keep the price as low as possible. That said, we don't propose to lose money on it. The fact of the matter is, the costs of releasing in Europe are far higher than in the US, in some ways uniquely so for Rock Band compared to other game titles, because of the size of the peripherals."

He added that it's all down to shipping costs: "Seriously, I was shocked to learn how much it costs us to ship an RB peripherals box to Europe. It's way more than you'd expect".

LoPiccolo would not reveal how much his company actually makes on the game, as "that would probably get him fired".

He also pointed to the fact that VAT tends to be included already in published UK pricing (though why this would add up to a £100 difference is beyond comprehension).

But LoPiccolo continued: "We’re not gouging you, primarily because doing so doesn’t serve our interests. We can only build our franchise if you buy our games. You may conclude that Rock Band isn’t worth the price charged, and that is your prerogative. But it’s not magically going to get cheaper because you wish it to be so".

"We’ve sold a ton of these in the US at a far higher price point than people are used to paying for a videogame, because it really is a new and different experience ... Once you get a crack at it, you’ll know whether or not it’s worth the money. We think you might decide that it is."

Or we may not.