Harmonix, MTV Games and distributor Electronic Arts have released some of the data and figures related to the performance that the Rock Band franchise has had in 2008. Some of the data quoted is pretty impressive indeed and it certainly points to a close struggle with Guitar Hero, the music simulator that is being published by Activision and which is Rock Band's biggest rival.

The Rock Band franchise is said to have gone over 1 billion dollars in retail sales in North America alone in the last 15 months. In the same time frame players who own the game have bought no less than 40 million songs from the Rock Band Music Store. There are about 600 tracks that one can download, created by some 269 artists. Harmonix has recently said that it plans to go over 1,000 tracks available for digital download by the end of 2009.

NPD Group data also show that Rock Band is “the top game of 2008 in terms of revenue.” Harmonix and Electronic Arts are also pointing out that the game has earned more than 50 awards while having a Metacritic score of 92. Rock Band also registered a first, as far as music games are concerned, releasing a track, “Saints of Los Angeles” by Motley Crue, for download on the same day in which is was heard on the radio for the first time.

Such performances, while impressive, do not guarantee continued success for Rock Band. Activision is launching Guitar Hero: Metallica, a game that is surely set to steal the limelight for quite a while, as Harmonix and MTV Games are working on a Beatles Rock Band game that is set to be released in autumn. It's a big gamble. If players are interested in the game, which will be bundled with instruments and focus exclusively on The Beatles, then Harmonix will have reason to celebrate. If players are more interested in getting new tracks for Rock Band 2 then The Beatles game might be a flop.