Rhythm Gaming is all the rage, or is it? Turns out Guitar Hero: World Tour didn’t meet or exceed the figures they hit with Guitar Hero III. Where GH3 brought in $115 million in the first week, GHWT brought in $67 million in the same time frame.
Why?
There are plenty of factors that could cut down the sales units, considering those that can purchase Guitar Hero World Tour don’t have to purchase additional instruments to play the game like they played GH3.
- Rock Band 2: This game arrived before Guitar Hero 3 and folks went for this game instead because it was first to launch. Some gamers have to make a choice on which to purchase because they can’t buy both.
- Hot Games: Although Rhythm gaming can be fun, a lot of great games are arriving this season so gamers have to make some big decisions.
- Economics: The economy isn’t exactly thriving right now and retail outlets are already predicting less than stellar numbers.
- Saturation: Since the original Guitar Hero game, we’ve had a number of titles from Activision including their Aerosmith edition and Harmonix pulling out Rock Band and Rock Band 2. There is talk of a Hendrix version and a Metallic release – how much is too much?
We know people love charts, so here is another to toss at you via Kotaku:
Guitar Hero World Tour Sales, via Kotaku
The break down from Guitar Hero 3 to World Tour is obvious, also apparent is the shift in console when buying into the rhythm gaming franchises. The Wii has started taking more market share, odd considering the DLC isn’t there, and the PS3 is showing its lackluster sales of the console by growing in proportion but not excelling to grab huge share (PS3 fanboys attack!). Sony kicked ass by taking control of the share using their PlayStation 2 with Guitar Hero 3, but has lost that lead for the World Tour.
Will these lower sales figure change the future roadmap for Activision in their Guitar Hero franchise or are they satisfied taking home $67 million in the first week of the launch. That is still a lot of money and probably doesn’t even consider any money they could (or will) potentially make on the World Tour hardware.
Luckily, the rhythm gaming content doesn’t get old with age, it just gets more classic. No doubt Guitar Hero World Tour will be landing in homes over the holidays and into 2009.
Who broke iTunes? The is only 1 minute long!
Who broke iTunes? The is only 1 minute long!
Ignore that. It’s 1 hour and 1 minute exactly.
I’ll go listen 🙂
Ignore that. It’s 1 hour and 1 minute exactly.
I’ll go listen 🙂
@Blizzard wants to release diablo 3 this year
It’s nice that Blizzard aren’t pressured into releasing something when it’s not ready. Valve, too, they’re products take as long as it takes to make them brilliant. It’s just frustrating when you hear nothing about it in the meantime. Heh, reminds me of Radiohead. Not saying anything for 2 and a half years and then all of a sudden saying “hey, albums done. It’s out in 5 days.”
@CliffyB on Gears 3 being a 360 exclusive
Marketing dollars would be a big drawcard, so it’s unsurprising they’re staying with Microsoft. And I agree with him, the Playstation 3 controller feels awkward and uncomfortable compared to the 360 controller.
@Age of empires 3 a “huge mistake”
It definitely didn’t feel like an age of empires game. If it had been given a different name, I probably would have liked it more, but being the sequel to age of empires 2, my favorite RTS, I couldn’t help being disappointed.
Also, I’m looking forward to hearing your impressions of age of empires online Jonah. Unfortunately, I don’t have very high expectations for it…
@QOTW
Very hard question, since it’s pretty variable. Maybe on average 10 hours a week? actually, i have no idea. I just made that number up really.
@Blizzard wants to release diablo 3 this year
It’s nice that Blizzard aren’t pressured into releasing something when it’s not ready. Valve, too, they’re products take as long as it takes to make them brilliant. It’s just frustrating when you hear nothing about it in the meantime. Heh, reminds me of Radiohead. Not saying anything for 2 and a half years and then all of a sudden saying “hey, albums done. It’s out in 5 days.”
@CliffyB on Gears 3 being a 360 exclusive
Marketing dollars would be a big drawcard, so it’s unsurprising they’re staying with Microsoft. And I agree with him, the Playstation 3 controller feels awkward and uncomfortable compared to the 360 controller.
@Age of empires 3 a “huge mistake”
It definitely didn’t feel like an age of empires game. If it had been given a different name, I probably would have liked it more, but being the sequel to age of empires 2, my favorite RTS, I couldn’t help being disappointed.
Also, I’m looking forward to hearing your impressions of age of empires online Jonah. Unfortunately, I don’t have very high expectations for it…
@QOTW
Very hard question, since it’s pretty variable. Maybe on average 10 hours a week? actually, i have no idea. I just made that number up really.
hello its me again just want to let you know that I already invited some of my friends to listen to your podcast its just because that Ilove your show a lot and by the way I like the monster hunter topic suggestion by some random guy who commented bye and more power to your show
from your number one fan oliver
hello its me again just want to let you know that I already invited some of my friends to listen to your podcast its just because that Ilove your show a lot and by the way I like the monster hunter topic suggestion by some random guy who commented bye and more power to your show
from your number one fan oliver
YAY IM A MEMBER NOW
YAY IM A MEMBER NOW
@Activision Kills Guitar Hero: sorry for the guys that lost their jobs. If they’re at least decent developers, they should find themselves employed fairly soon.
As for slow-playing, dunno. Look at Battlefield. Not slow played. Still gets sales.
And you don’t make a game that suits everybody. You do a game that suits a certain type of people, and make sure all of them buy it.
@Blizzard Wants to Release Diablo III This Year:
Thanks Jonah, I was going to mention Valve.
Derrick, thank you too. I was also thinking on how they split their efforts.
@Crysis 2 and Killzone 3 Leaked On BitTorrent:
Oh man 🙂 … apparently master keys is the thing of the past, for developers and publisher, and a thing of the future for pirates.
As for who’re the pirates … don’t bet anything on teens buying the game. Just as a counterpoint, they don’t have money, and they’re ALWAYS on-line.
Derrick, Jonah is right though. Piracy is rampant in Eastern Europe. And Jonah, Derrick is right: yes, it is price drawn.
@CliffyB On Why Gears Is Still a 360 Exclusive:
Guys, look up Steve Ballmer’s “Developers” youtube video. CliffyB (Epic is a developer) simply proved it right: get the developers on your side.
@QOTW: I barely have time to play, in general. And just a quick question: what’s a social networking game?
@Activision Kills Guitar Hero: sorry for the guys that lost their jobs. If they’re at least decent developers, they should find themselves employed fairly soon.
As for slow-playing, dunno. Look at Battlefield. Not slow played. Still gets sales.
And you don’t make a game that suits everybody. You do a game that suits a certain type of people, and make sure all of them buy it.
@Blizzard Wants to Release Diablo III This Year:
Thanks Jonah, I was going to mention Valve.
Derrick, thank you too. I was also thinking on how they split their efforts.
@Crysis 2 and Killzone 3 Leaked On BitTorrent:
Oh man 🙂 … apparently master keys is the thing of the past, for developers and publisher, and a thing of the future for pirates.
As for who’re the pirates … don’t bet anything on teens buying the game. Just as a counterpoint, they don’t have money, and they’re ALWAYS on-line.
Derrick, Jonah is right though. Piracy is rampant in Eastern Europe. And Jonah, Derrick is right: yes, it is price drawn.
@CliffyB On Why Gears Is Still a 360 Exclusive:
Guys, look up Steve Ballmer’s “Developers” youtube video. CliffyB (Epic is a developer) simply proved it right: get the developers on your side.
@QOTW: I barely have time to play, in general. And just a quick question: what’s a social networking game?
Piracy – I may or may not download games from time to time using torrents or other sources but I buy my fair share of games especially from developers I know create great games. I honestly believe that the primary issue with game piracy is the price of the games. I’m not going to pay $50 or more for a game that may or may not enjoy and has no resell value if i do not. In fact for that exact reason i download tones of demos on my PS3 so I know what to expect. If the games were cheaper I wouldn’t feel so ripped off and less likely to pirate.
Piracy – I may or may not download games from time to time using torrents or other sources but I buy my fair share of games especially from developers I know create great games. I honestly believe that the primary issue with game piracy is the price of the games. I’m not going to pay $50 or more for a game that may or may not enjoy and has no resell value if i do not. In fact for that exact reason i download tones of demos on my PS3 so I know what to expect. If the games were cheaper I wouldn’t feel so ripped off and less likely to pirate.