Shipment of games swiped

Published 9:40 pm Thursday, December 13, 2007

LOS ANGELES — One of this year’s hottest video games got hotter last weekend, when highway bandits near Los Angeles hijacked a truck carrying more than 1,000 copies of “Rock Band” and the electronic instruments that accompany it, authorities said Wednesday.

The robbers kidnapped the driver and held him at gunpoint while they unloaded the cargo. In addition to the game disc, “Rock Band” features a drum set, a guitar and a microphone so players can pretend to be performers.

“We’re glad no one got hurt,” said Bryce Baer, a spokesman for Electronic Arts, the game’s publisher. “We hope these guys end up forming a rock band in jail.”

The Xbox 360 version of “Rock Band” retails for $169, making the theft worth more than $170,000.