MMORPG publisher Acclaim Games announced Rockfree, a free-to-play, browser-based music game scheduled to release in the first quarter of 2009.

The company partnered with Warner Music, Sony, and EMI to include songs from those record labels, and also teamed up with WaveGroup, the production company behind the song covers in the Guitar Hero series and other music titles.

Rockfree allows players to create custom avatars, open a rock club, upload new tracks, and battle against up to eight players online. Acclaim launched its closed beta for the game and a public preview on Saturday, November 29th.

There are currently over 40 new songs being produced for Rockfree, but Acclaim revealed three licensed tracks with its preview -- Black Sabbath's Iron Man, Sum 41's Fat Lip, and Wolfmother's Woman. The company doesn't intend to charge users for downloading extra tracks.

"Acclaim Games is excited about offering an online rock game that connects people through music and a multiplayer experience," says Acclaim Games CEO Howard Marks. "People don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to play Rockfree, and because it’s free-to-play the entire world can now enjoy a music based game."

[The preceding article by Eric Caoili originally appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]