Rock Band getting Euro price cut?

Source: A report on Kotaku, citing a report on Spanish-language site Akihabara Blues, which cites an original article on the similarly Spanish Metodologic, which just says it heard the info from a source it won't reveal.

What we heard: Last week, Electronic Arts announced the long-awaited European release date for Harmonix's Rock Band. While the news might have been met happily by a group of gamers eager to play the game that has been on US store shelves since November, this news was instead met with more than a modicum of anger and resentment over the game's new European pricing structure. A full set of Rock Band's instrument peripherals will cost €169 ($267), with the game itself requiring a separate €70 ($110) purchase.

As could be seen in the hundreds of comments to GameSpot's article, reaction to the pricing was swift and largely negative. It actually prompted a response from Harmonix vice president of product development Greg LoPiccolo, who noted on the official Rock Band forums that it was costing the company more to sell those products in Europe to shipping fees and taxes.

"We're not gouging you primarily because doing so doesn't serve our interests," LoPiccolo said. "We can only build our franchise if you buy our games. You may conclude that Rock Band isn't worth the price charged, and that is your prerogative. But it's not magically going to get cheaper because you wish it to be so."

That isn't stopping people from wishing for that magic change regardless. According to Metodologic, a "little bird" let slip the possibility that Electronic Arts would reveal new pricing details for Rock Band with a mid-week announcement. According to the site, the new price of Rock Band will no longer be €240, but instead €169.

This is curious for a number of reasons. First of all, the article is written as if there is a Rock Band bundle that costs €240. There isn't; that's simply what it costs when you combine the instrument bundle with the game itself, which is sold separately. So perhaps the site's source is just saying that the €169 instrument bundle will now come with the game packed in at no extra charge. That too would be strange, considering LoPiccolo's forum post explained at length why it's simply impractical for the game to be bundled with the hardware.

With LoPiccolo defending the game's pricing and packaging options so emphatically, it would be nothing less than bizarre for Electronic Arts and Harmonix to turn around and announce a price cut so soon. It would also undermine a loyal fan base's faith in Harmonix, whose a la carte downloadable song strategy and support for rival Activision's Guitar Hero controllers has engendered itself to many. An about-face on the pricing strategy now would not only make it seem like LoPiccolo was lying, but also invalidate his defense of the pricing and make it appear as if the company really was trying to gouge its customers.

So the price cut doesn't seem likely. That said, it might be possible for retailers to offer a promotion that would give customers a free copy of the game with the purchase of the instrument pack. As LoPiccolo noted in his post, suggested retail prices are generally higher in Europe, but retailers discount them with more frequency. Since Metodologic's source is anonymous, it could very well be an employee of a major retail chain looking to capitalize on the furor over the pricing with a high-profile promotion.

The official story: "This is just a rumor."--a Rock Band PR representative.

Bogus or not bogus?: One little bird isn't much to go on. We'll say bogus, though stranger things have happened.