Harmonix, MTV Games and EA have revealed Rock Band 2 will be hitting shelves this September. Rock Band 2 will debut on the Xbox 360 with an exclusive launch window in North America. Other platforms have not yet been confirmed with the press release stating only that the game will arrive on additional platforms later this year.

Rock Band challenges players to assemble a band with drums, vocals, lead and bass guitar, touring to gain fame and money. Rock Band 2 is said to build upon its foundation with co-operative band game play, multiple instruments, online multiplayer as well as downloadable content.

It features backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content, meaning you can load your purchased tracks straight into Rock Band 2 without re-purchasing or re-downloading any tracks. The game features master recordings and is said to boast the “biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts.”

The game will also include new and dynamic online modes that promise to connect Rock Banders locally and around the world. It features more instruments with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and new designs – and the best thing is that they are all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.

MTV Games and Harmonix also announced that The Rock Band online music store has recently passed 15 million paid downloads since Rock Band was launched in late November 2007. Currently there are over 200 tracks available to download.

Stay tuned for more details regarding features and music for Rock Band 2, which were promised to be revealed at E3.

“As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we’ve now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans’ requests and to build upon that foundation,” said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. “Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level.”

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most.”