Worldwide sales of Harmonix and MTV Games’ The Beatles: Rock Band has passed the 1.7 million mark, according to a report over at the LA Times, after what seems like an incredibly slow start for what was billed as a blockbuster in the music game genre.

Of the 1.7 million in global sales, The Beatles: Rock Band has managed to shift 1.18 million units in the US alone in the roughly four months it’s been on sale, in contrast to the 1.7 million units Rock Band 2 was able to sell in the US during its first four months on sale in 2008.

This points towards a concerning trend for the music game genre, where a continual and annual release schedule for various franchises, including Rock Band and Guitar Hero, has lead to somewhat of a market saturation.

A similar case can be found in the sales numbers of Guitar Hero 5; according to LA Times reporter Ben Fritz, Guitar Hero: World Tour sold a massive 3.4 million units in 2008, while Guitar Hero 5 last year sold a lowly 996 000 units.

Sales of videogames in the music genre last year dropped by 46% to $1.06 billion, which represents the largest decline in any game genre last year.

On the other hand, creators of music games are able to extend profitability through downloadable content in the form of extra songs for their games, sales of which we are not privy to.

It must be a lot, though.

Source: LA Times