Making Music Interview

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Eurogamer: I love Jimmy Buffett! Cheeseburger in Paradise!

John Drake: Let's go over what you've focused on so far - Lionel Richie, Barry Manilow, Cheeseburger in Paradise...

Eurogamer: Sorry, I'll try to be a bit more professional. So I know you're not saying exactly what platforms the game is for today - can you tell us whether the same collection of songs will be on each version of the Beatles game?

John Drake: We can't say that, but I think you can look at our history and draw conclusions from the patterns of our previous games. Usually we try to keep things carried across consoles.

Eurogamer: What about the instruments? There's been some intimation the Beatles game will work with the Rock Band peripherals, but it's a bit vague...

John Drake: That was sort of confusing, right?

Eurogamer: Right. Was that sort of deliberate?

John Drake: Let's go with yes, that was deliberate. We're trying to make it easy for people to have access to the game, but we haven't confirmed what sort of stuff the game's going to come with, or what you'll need to play the game. I would love to answer your questions more fully but I don't actually know the specifics myself. We'll have more details in the coming weeks.

Eurogamer: What about compatibility with Guitar Hero instruments?

Dan Teasdale: In terms of Rock Band and Rock Band 2, we have an open controller philosophy.

"How much is that doggy in the window? The one with the waggly tail?" "We're not announcing pricing information."

John Drake: Our ongoing philosophy is to give people the option to choose what controllers they want to play with.

Eurogamer: The press release says Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have given their blessing to the game. In financial terms, how much does their blessing cost?

John Drake: [Laughs] We're not discussing the specifics of the financial agreement, although everyone's very satisfied with the deal, I'm sure.

Dan Teasdale: We can talk about the creative agreement. They've seen the game, they're working with us to push forward development. Giles Martin [son of George, the original Beatles producer] is music producer on the game. Everyone at Apple is closely tied in to make sure the game is as authentic as possible.

Eurogamer: Presumably though Paul McCartney won't have direct involvement in terms of popping down to your office to do a bit of rendering...

John Drake: Paul McCartney will not be coding for the game [laughs]. I don't know if Sir Paul has a computer science background. Let's not presume, though. The dude's a knight, he might be very good at it.

Bring on Lionel.

They are seeing different builds and giving us feedback. They're going to be instrumental in making the game feel right. Instrumental - see what I did there? [Laughs]

John Drake: We don't really talk about the specifics of sales figures, but I don't think the exclusivity really hurts.

Dan Teasdale: The exclusivity gets more people interested in the game... I think any disparity in numbers is because of factors outside of 360 exclusivity.

Eurogamer: Like what?

Dan Teasdale: Like getting the game out on time. We came out in May which was probably a little too late for us, to be honest. It's a shame we had to release so late. I think as we go forwards, you'll see that window get narrower.

Eurogamer: How concerned are you about competing with the new Guitar Hero, considering it's now a music game that also works with drum kits and microphones?

Dan Teasdale: I'd challenge that. I don't think we're competing with Guitar Hero.

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