Mad Catz targets ‘significant’ European growth for Rock Band 4

Rock Band will finally crack Europe this year, publisher Mad Catz has told MCV @ Gamescom.

The Harmonix-developed series is a huge seller, but has struggled to compete with Guitar Hero outside of the US market.

We think Rock Band has the potential to find a far bigger audience in Europe than previously enjoyed with Rock Band 4,” said Alex Verrey (pictured), global PR and communications director at Mad Catz.

With both music franchises launching anew in this generation, we feel that a ‘reset’ button has been hit and that Rock Band can grow market share significantly.”

Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live will launch later this year, five years after their respective predecessors Rock Band 3 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

While Rock Band 4 is focusing on a local multiplayer ‘band’ experience, Guitar Hero Live is a new take on Activision’s series, concentrating on just the guitar instrument and utilising live-action videos.

Daniel Sussman, project manager at Rock Band developer Harmonix, added that the variations between the titles meant that there is no ill-will between the two competing franchises.

I applaud them for doing what they’re doing, yet I’m very confident in what we’re doing,” he told MCV @ Gamescom.

There are a lot of differences between our approach and theirs, and that’s really healthy.”

Mad Catz is banking a lot on Rock Band 4, after the firm had to borrow additional money for its launch.