The Beatles: Rock Band, Viacom’s latest challenge to Guitar Hero, will test whether the company can attract new players and revive sales with the band’s 1960s hits. The game traces the Beatles’ career from Liverpool in 1963 to their final rooftop performance in 1969 in London, and will be released on Sept. 9. On the same day, EMI will issue remastered CDs.

Rock Band is the backbone of Viacom’s MTV Games, and the franchise needs a hit to reverse slumping sales and stem projected losses through 2010. Falling purchases of earlier versions led to a 41 percent drop in second-quarter revenue. Analysts project that the game will sell at least 1.7 million copies this year, but that’s still fewer than half of the 4 million-plus estimated for Guitar Hero 5, which releases Sept. 1.

Source: Bloomberg