10 Insane Ways Video Games Were Kept Under Wraps

10. Its Codename Was "Rock Band: Nickelback" - Rock Band Network

The Rock Band Network (RBN) was a DLC service for the Rock Band series launched in 2009, just before The Beatles: Rock Band hit stores.

Pre-release, developers Harmonix kept the RBN a top-secret project, knowing full well that it had majorly lucrative potential - by allowing music rights-holders to add their own songs to the game - if it was rolled out correctly.

To keep unwanted attention away from RBN during its developmental phase, it was reportedly referred to as "Rock Band: Nickelback" internally. The reason for Nickelback? The New York Times explains:

"The Rock Band Network is so potentially consequential that Harmonix went to great lengths to keep its development secret, including giving it the unofficial in-house code name Rock Band: Nickelback, on the theory that the name of the quintessentially generic modern rock group would be enough to deflect all curiosity."

That's some next-level genius right there, and considering the general disdain rock fans have for Nickelback, it worked perfectly.