Activision preps Guitar Hero encores

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Sep 16, 2008 3:18 pm PT

Publisher pledges to triple yearly output of rhythm games released by 2010, teases next big thing.

Activision purchased the Guitar Hero franchise in 2006 along with original publisher Red Octane. The acquisition cost the publisher nearly $100 million, with an additional $51 million thrown in if the outfit met certain performance markers. Earlier this year, Activision announced that the series had surpassed the $1 billion sales threshold.

At a presentation for analysts yesterday, the publisher confirmed that it wasn't quite through with its epic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" financial-windfall drum solo. Activision Publishing president Mike Griffith told the assembled analysts that next year, the company would be doubling 2008's number of Guitar Hero SKUs. (The same game appearing on three different platforms would be counted by retailers as three stock-keeping units, or SKUs.) The publisher wants to keep up that pace of expansion, and Griffith said that in 2010, Activision Blizzard plans to release almost triple this year's number of Guitar Hero SKUs.

"We've learned that the consumer still has an insatiable appetite for more," Griffith said.

Backing up that claim was a variety of factoids that emerged during the presentation. Griffith said that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith generated more revenue than any of the band's actual albums. Universal Music Group president Zach Horowitz told the audience that he's seen songs that have appeared in Guitar Hero boost their average sales many times over, with Weezer's "My Name is Jonas" in particular receiving a 1,000 percent sales jump in the 13 weeks after its Guitar Hero debut.

And though the upcoming World Tour marks the expansion of the game into a four-piece band game that includes drums and vocals, Griffith teased that the next big jump is just around the corner.

"Beyond this, we have a step-change innovation plan already in development that takes our game experience in new and exciting directions...which we'll announce at a later date," Griffith said.

116 Comments

  • alex52694

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 12:00 pm PT

    "We've learned that the consumer still has an insatiable appetite for more," Griffith said. -Wow... no comment.

  • revczar

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 3:22 pm PT

    "Griffith said that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith generated more revenue than any of the band's actual albums"

    lets take in consideration a cd sales around $15 and a game sales at $60 and if a cd and the game sales the same amount i wonder what would make more

  • mcmanus108

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 10:29 am PT

    go rock band

  • machineares

    Posted Sep 24, 2008 2:36 pm PT

    This is disgusting. Activision is worthless and has sucked the fun and interesting community out of music games. There's already too many bulls*it games flooding the market, and now they're doing even more?

  • megamaster32

    Posted Sep 19, 2008 7:35 pm PT

    I agree about the aerosmith they did had alot of encores I just cant wait for this game the death the metallica new album can be on there to if you download it

  • rybread13

    Posted Sep 19, 2008 10:32 am PT

    Rock on Activision, keep rolling out the gold!!

  • flynow

    Posted Sep 19, 2008 3:24 am PT

    And thus every week you should put 50% of your entire allowance into ATVI. In 35 years you will be able to retire rich, happy, and able to play games for the rest of your life.

  • funnysplay

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 2:10 pm PT

    Good i liked Weezer's "My Name is Jonas"

  • mechranma

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 11:38 am PT

    "Symphony Hero! Whoo!
    Let's get a 90-instrument custom edition!"

    I call the cello!

  • KuroriKenshin

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 8:54 am PT

    So basically this is saying the Gamestop bargain bin is going to be overflowing with Guitar Hero titles that one wants to fork out the money for continuously.

  • BlueKazoo20

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 8:27 am PT

    "Universal Music Group president Zach Horowitz told the audience that he's seen songs that have appeared in Guitar Hero boost their average sales many times over, with Weezer's "My Name is Jonas" in particular receiving a 1,000 percent sales jump in the 13 weeks after its Guitar Hero debut."

    This I believe. There are a few songs on my iPod that would've never been there at all if it wasn't for Guitar Hero (Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" is one of them). Apparently this game can be useful in introducing new songs and artists to people.

  • otanikun

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 6:22 am PT

    I am a huge Guitar Hero fan and at first this seemed like an awesome thing, but now I've actually decided to ask myself and everybody else this question;

    Why?

    I mean, sure Aerosmith may have been a modest success, but what kinda " Encores" are we talking about here?
    Is it gonna follow the same formula as Rocks the 80's and feature a specific year or is it going to feature something like Hard rock over Classic or dance mixes of rock songs?

    I'd rather them stick with the general forumla of full stand alone games than little enhanced features that should be available for download if we so choose to want/need them, according to "demand"

  • rpgisforme

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 6:15 am PT

    This is just me, but I have Rock Band and personally I prefer GH. The track list is awesome! I've already got my pre order in. BUT! We already have the whole band thing going so this idea of the next big jump scares me. Next you're gonna need back up dancers behind you to play, lol.

  • MasterFreinz

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 1:56 am PT

    "Griffith said that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith generated more revenue than any of the band's actual albums."

    lol

  • julianwelton

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 1:16 am PT

    @frogiggy: World Tour is also a name for when a band goes on tour around the world, but no the title couldn't be derived from that.

  • julianwelton

    Posted Sep 18, 2008 1:14 am PT

    @frogiggy323 World Tour is also a name for a cross country tour, that bands sometimes go on, but it couldn't be from that.

  • robtheguru

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 8:06 pm PT

    Would be nice to see some modern heavy metal in the game. Lamb of God, Machinehead, Devildriver...you get where im going

  • frogiggy323

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 6:46 pm PT

    I'm betting that "step-change innovation" is probably something to be copied off a futrue Rock Band game. I mean come on Guitar Hero "World Tour..." World Tour was the main freaking mode in Rock Band!

  • TissueShoe

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 5:55 pm PT

    Well they can't expect me to buy every single game of theirs, way too much money to spend yearly on a single franchise. I don't plan on ever getting instrument peripherals for the series again after World Tour.

  • LegendaryDante1

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 5:49 pm PT

    Symphony Hero! Whoo!
    Let's get a 90-instrument custom edition!

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