DENVER - There were a lot of questions surrounding the “Guitar Hero" videogame when it first came out. Would gamers agree to pony up extra money for the special guitar-shaped controller needed to play it? Would the music industry agree to license master tracks? Would the addition of downloadable content be successful?
The answer to all those questions has turned out to be a resounding yes. “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" has sold more than 8 million copies, and the franchise has sold more than 20 million songs through its downloadable content store.
During the past month, publisher Activisionwhich purchased the rights to the franchise by acquiring original publisher RedOctanerolled out a portable version of the game for the Nintendo DS called “Guitar Hero: On Tour," introduced a special edition dedicated to classic rock act Aerosmith and unveiled plans for its next installment, “Guitar Hero: World Tour," which for the first time adds drums and vocals to the mix in a bid to compete with rival “Rock Band." An added twist for the expected fourth-quarter release: The game's “music studio" feature enables users to compose and record tracks and share them online.
To be sure, the story of “Guitar Hero" seems to be just hitting its stride rather than slowing down. Billboard caught up with RedOctane founders and brothers Kai and Charles Huangpresident and VP of business development, respectivelyto hear their reflections on the past and what they've got planned for the future.
The answer to all those questions has turned out to be a resounding yes. “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" has sold more than 8 million copies, and the franchise has sold more than 20 million songs through its downloadable content store.
During the past month, publisher Activisionwhich purchased the rights to the franchise by acquiring original publisher RedOctanerolled out a portable version of the game for the Nintendo DS called “Guitar Hero: On Tour," introduced a special edition dedicated to classic rock act Aerosmith and unveiled plans for its next installment, “Guitar Hero: World Tour," which for the first time adds drums and vocals to the mix in a bid to compete with rival “Rock Band." An added twist for the expected fourth-quarter release: The game's “music studio" feature enables users to compose and record tracks and share them online.
To be sure, the story of “Guitar Hero" seems to be just hitting its stride rather than slowing down. Billboard caught up with RedOctane founders and brothers Kai and Charles Huangpresident and VP of business development, respectivelyto hear their reflections on the past and what they've got planned for the future.
