Despite charting at number four in the UK Charts this week behind fierce rival Guitar Hero 5, EA’s The Beatles: Rock Band has so far exceeded the sales expectations of developer Harmonix’s parent company Viacom.

“It's been terrific,” Viacom CEO Philleppe Dauman told investors in a conference call, according to Industry Gamers. “The sales have exceeded our internal expectations.

“In the first week we've sold about 25 per cent of our inventory. The reviews have been incredible. It's selling well across Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii – and in fact the pricing change that was made on PlayStation has helped sales on that platform.

“It really is a work of art. The game delivers in all respects and we think it's going to have legs.”

Surprisingly, it seems that the complete band kit – the most expensive Beatles SKU on the market – has to date proved the best selling, enforcing the belief that a lot of newcomers to the music genre are buying into the game.

“The special limited edition set that we have priced at $249,” Dauman added. “It is selling really fast, and it looks like we'll be selling out of that in November, so if any of you are interested in buying that you'd better hurry up.”

It was also revealed that since release the game’s release it has generated 60m paid downloads.