Guitar Hero II Rakes in the Cash

Written By: Travis Johnson

In a recent press release Activision stated "downloadable Xbox 360 video game song packs for [i]Guitar Hero II[/i] hit multi-platinum status with more than 650,000 downloads through Xbox LIVE Marketplace in less than five months, as defined by the music industry's RIAA.  Each downloadable pack contains three individual songs.  Individual songs combined have topped the two million mark, making the [i]Guitar Hero II[/i] packs some of the most downloaded content on Xbox LIVE Marketplace."  In other words, the [i]Guitar Hero[/i] brand is a license for Activision to print money.

"Activision was the first third-party publisher to offer downloadable content via Xbox LIVE to consumers and as a result, we have tremendous insight into the types of content that consumers want," states Dusty Welch, head of publishing, RedOctane.  "The Guitar Hero II downloadable video game song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox LIVE and are quickly becoming a very lucrative revenue stream and powerful promotional vehicle for musicians and record labels today."

"Additionally, Activision's highly anticipated sequel, [i]Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock[/i] will feature master tracks from some of rock's most legendary bands like the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica, as well as original songs by such guitarist icons as Slash and Tom Morello.  To date, [i]Guitar Hero[/i] games have sold more than 5.5 million units, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk. [i]Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock[/i] is scheduled to launch in October and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB."

"Having Warner Music Group's master recordings in Guitar Hero III is a fantastic opportunity for everyone. Both our current and catalog artists are being exposed to new audiences through this great game. By selling additional tracks, we don't have to wait for another volume of the game to be released to offer new artists and music to gamers around the world," said Mark Pinkus, SVP Synch Licensing & Strategic Marketing at Rhino Entertainment.

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