Van Halen Finally Coming to Rock Band

Legendary rock band Van Halen is no stranger to music video games, as Activision dedicated an entire Guitar Hero title to the group in 2009. But the band's music has never appeared in a Rock Band game before. That's changing this year with Rock Band 4, Harmonix announced on Monday.

The band's famous 1984 hit, "Panama," will be featured on Rock Band 4's soundtrack, with more songs from the band to come later as downloadable content through the Rock Band Music Store.

Van Halen isn't the only classic rock band featured on Rock Band 4's soundtrack. Some other big-name bands include Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, The Outfield, The Who, Rush, Heart, and Van Morrison.

"For years we've wanted to bring Van Halen's music to Rock Band," Harmonix CEO Steve Janiak said in a statement. "Not only are the songs incredible in their own right, but they're amazingly fun to play and perform, whether you're on guitar, bass, drums, or vocals."

Despite Rock Band 4 being developed on one of the smallest-ever budgets for a Rock Band game, Harmonix pledges that the title will offer a "top-tier" soundtrack (see 17 new songs here). The game launches October 6 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.