NEW YORK Few can question the legacy the Beatles left on the music and pop-culture world in the 20th century, but will millennial videogamers -- most born long after the band's split 40 years ago -- be abuzz with Beatlemania?
Based on Nielsen's videogame tracking data three months prior to the release of The Beatles: Rock Band on Sept. 9, consumers registered good awareness and modest purchase interest in the title at the time. (Adweek is a unit of the Nielsen Co.)
However, during the week of its release, awareness and purchase interest numbers jumped substantially across almost all age ranges, most likely due to the mass media coverage of both the game and re-release of the band's master recordings.
Purchase interest metrics for The Beatles: Rock Band within the 35 to 54 age bracket jumped higher this past week, perhaps due to widespread media coverage and all-round buzz. The traditional audiences for The Beatles skew older than those of Aerosmith and Metallica, but purchase interest levels for The Beatles: Rock Band among this age range appear on par with these two other band-themed games.
Online buzz and media coverage for The Beatles: Rock Band peaked the day of the videogame's release, which coincided with the release of remastered versions of the Beatles' catalog (and false rumors the catalog would be available on iTunes).
Buzz levels specific to The Beatles: Rock Band game soared to more than five times the levels of buzz generated by Guitar Hero 5 on its launch date.
See also: "Jay-Z, the Beatles Top Billboard Charts"
Nielsen Business Media
