MTV announced Thursday an “unprecedented global music project” with Apple Corp., the company handling The Beatles catalog - the Fab Four are to be featured in a music video game, to fans’ feverish joy.

The project has the blessing of surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, who are both members of Apple Corp., along with George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, and John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono.

This is the first time The Beatles’ music is available digitally, as the legendary group has long eluded iTunes Store and other download services. It’s interesting they have finally chosen to break down the barrier by having their universally-recognizable tunes trickle into the video game market.

MTV Games and Harmonix confirmed Thursday that the game would be due for release in about a year’s time, around the holidays. Jeff Jones, chief executive of The Beatles Apple Corps Ltd, said the game would include “samples of the whole (music) catalogue.”

The game will not be released under the “Rock Band” brand though. Harmonix’s Alex Rigopulous said Thursday that the new game would be a “full-blown custom game built from ground up,” as reported by IGN. Rigopulous would only add that players would experience The Beatles’ music from the first album, “Please Please Me,” to the last recorded album, “Abbey Road.”

No details were provided regarding a specific release date or a sale price for the game. No specific Beatles songs to be included in the video game were named either. Fans can rest assured though that they will get the real thing. MTV Networks said both McCartney and Starr, as well as Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono, had contributed creatively to the conception of the game.

McCartney gave his blessing in a statement, calling the project “a fun idea” which will introduce The Beatles and their music to new generations who will be able to know the music “from the inside out.”

Starr, who recently made an impassioned plea to his fans to stop sending him mail, said the upcoming “Rock Band” game represents “a natural progression into the 21st century” for The Beatles’ legacy, “through the computerized world we live in.” This is certainly one move that will inspire fans to jot down a thank you note.

“Rock Band,” developed by MTV’s Harmonix and published by Electronic Arts, will next incite fans with “AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack,” which will be released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Wii consoles on November 2. “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” was released in June and has already sold more than 1 million units.

The Beatles disbanded in 1970 but have remained uniquely relevant and eternally compelling through the years.