Following in the success of The Beatles: Rock Band, Harmonix is now planning to release a standalone Green Day: Rock Band game, which will feature the likenesses of Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool, and will contain venues specific to the band's history. Green Day made this announcement themselves at Spike's Video Game Awards show which you can see below.

Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix Music Systems added that, “[t]his game will feel like a natural extension of Green Day and their music that will deepen the fans’ connection to the band and their history.”

Even though I have always been a big fan of Green Day's music, especially their early work, I question whether this is a sound business strategy for Harmonix. The Beatles: Rock Band made sense since most people were familiar with their songs, and they have cross-generational appeal. Plus, the game had a new feature that allowed singers to add harmonies, which was a pretty cool addition. However, there are very few bands that have the reach and influence of The Beatles. Green Day, while a very popular contemporary band, may not stand in the same league. Then again, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith sold over 3 million copies, so maybe I am off base here.

That being said, I have been waiting a long time for Harmonix to release Dookie for Rock Band 2, so I am glad to see it is on its way. Luckily, the track list of Green Day: Rock Band will be fully exportable, so you can mix it in with your Rock Band 1 and 2 music libraries.

Does a Green Day-themed Rock Band interest you? Let us know in the comment section below.

Green Day: Rock Band will be available globally in 2010 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii.

Source: Gametrailers.com, Harmonix