The long-awaited day is finally here, as Beatles fans will finally see the British Invasion land on their console of choice. MTV and Apple have come to an agreement to publish a game based solely on the music of The Beatles. The game is being developed by Rock Band creator Harmonix, and will exist as its own standalone product rather than a simple expansion to the already existing Rock Band franchise.

Obviously this is a huge deal, and the affected parties are treating the occasion with the reverence it deserves.

“By presenting their music and artistry through the creative filter of a groundbreaking video game, we are giving legions of fans and music lovers all over the world a profound, new way to experience The Beatles,” Alex Rigopulos, CEO and Co-Founder of Harmonix, said in a press release. “This game will be a celebration of the Beatles undeniable legacy.”

“The impact of The Beatles is forever ingrained in the hearts, minds and souls of millions the world over,” said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks. “The Beatles are the reason many of us are WHERE we are, and some of us are WHO we are.”

So we can tell the game publishers are excited, but what about the members of the band? Are they taking the Slash approach, praising the experience and exhibiting excitement for the game, or do they take the Metallica approach, licensing the music but otherwise keeping the game at arm’s length? Well how about we just let them tell you:

“The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out,” Sir Paul McCartney said in the press release.

“It gives me great pleasure to be part of The Beatles / Apple and Harmonix / Rock Band partnership,” Ringo Starr said. “The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles’ legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence.”

“It’s cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades,” said Yoko Ono Lennon.

“People are having so much fun playing Rock Band. Combined with The Beatles tracks, it is a great way to either listen or participate,” said Olivia Harrison. “If you like the music, it doesn’t take much persuasion to get you to play.”

And thus the blessing of the band’s surviving members and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison is handed to the game. What a happy day for us all, I think my guitar might gently weep.

Now comes the fun part, deciding on the songs. What Beatle-rific tracks do you want to see make the final cut? No, "all of them" is not a viable answer; you have to make sacrifices. It should be interesting to see how Harmonix handles a band-specific game, considering the only other title we’ve seen like this was Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. That particular game was blasted by critics for being too derivative of the other games in the Guitar Hero franchise and not offering enough new wrinkles to make playing songs from the same band interesting for a long period.

Still, with that in mind we wish Harmonix the best of luck in creating this game. We’ve been waiting for The Beatles to come to gaming for a long while now, so here’s hoping it pays off. We’ll keep you posted on all the latest news as it becomes available. In the meantime go dust off some old records and get to know one of the greatest bands ever all over again.