Mad Catz To Produce Rock Band Peripherals

Third-party games peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz Interactive has announced a multi-year licensing agreement with Harmonix and MTV Games, through which Mad Catz gains the right to produce and distribute game peripherals for Rock Band in North America and other territories. The agreement covers Mad Catz's manufacturing, marketing and sale of both wired and wireless bass guitars, a drum set with "professional quality" wooden drum sticks, and a wired microphone. The company says it expects initial offerings to be available in the first half of 2008. No specific hardware platforms are mentioned in the announcement. Rival Guitar Hero publisher Activision and Rock Band developer Harmonix have recently sparred over whether or not Guitar Hero guitar peripherals may be made compatible with the PlayStation 3, as they are currently with the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band. There are currently no stand-alone Rock Band guitars available in retail channels. Darren Richardson, president and CEO of Mad Catz, commented, “This agreement with MTV Games represents a natural opportunity for Mad Catz to combine our core competencies of producing and distributing high-quality accessories with the entertaining experience of Rock Band’s interactive controllers. Mad Catz will produce premium instruments, allowing gamers and music fans to experience music in an entirely new light while taking on the personality of their favorite music idols."