MTV expected higher sales for The Beatles: Rock Band

MTV Games general manager Scott Guthrie has said that The Beatles: Rock Band didn't sell as well in Europe as the company had hoped, but in the end, it's still pleased with how it did.

Speaking with MCV, Guthrie laid part of the blame on the economy last year, as well as competition.

"We got caught in a few things that happened last year," he said. "It was a tough economy; there was a lot of competitive products out there, and I think Beatles probably had softer sales than it would have if some of those things weren’t in play.

"Overall we were pleased with the sales. I think that we underestimated the competition and they took mind share away from us".

Guthrie also said that with the genre's peripherals already in households, people are no longer purchasing as many full-kit packages, and are instead buying the software only.

"Music games are still significant in the marketplace – they’re the number two genre behind shooters," he said.

"We have a long way to go, and we are playing catch-up – we were not the first people in the market and we’re up against not just a formidable opponent in Activision, but also Sony with the SingStar franchise.

"There are several things in play here – but we absolutely believe we can be the market leader."

During the same interview, Guthrie revealed that MTV expects Green Day to fare better in the market, since 16-34 year-olds are more familiar with them than The Beatles.

Green Day: Rock Band’s out worldwide for PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 on June 8, and Rock Band 3 will be getting its first public viewing at E3.