DJ Hero sales 'modest,' analyst says; Activision refuses to comment
by Xav de Matos 
{ Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:00PM } 
In recent history, the trend of peripheral-based releases has fallen short of sales expectations. Internet-famous Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter -- along with others in the field of "professional guessing" -- recently halved holiday sales predictions for Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band; after both fell short of initial sales predictions.
According to Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz, the falling projections of peripheral games reflect both the casual consumer's decision to reduce spending on games, as well as the possibility that gamers are losing interest in the played-out rhythm genre.
When contacted by Joystiq, Activision refused to comment on the matter. With no less than three new rhythm titles on the horizon, we presume publishers hope the trend of sluggish peripheral-based game sales comes to a screeching halt; like the days of disco music and, apparently, outlining the objectives of major marketing campaigns.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Discotheque @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:02PM
I was playing the game at a friend's house and I didn't like it too much. I think the excessive scratching can get irritating and most of the mixes were worse than amateur.
JJ Rooster @ Nov 3rd 2009 9:56PM
soundtrack is available on torrents and newsgroups, finally!
NitroMikeo @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:06PM
Who didn't see this coming?
Patcher probably..
Jose [Steam & PSN: Assmar] @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:13PM
You're a fudge "Patcher".
Ashkental @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:15PM
What are you talking about?
Pachter foresaw everything in this industry, he doesn't tell us because it would be boring to know.
F1: Basu Gasu Bakuhatsu @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:53PM
PATCHER IS A GOD!!
...a rather shity one though...
joeybeast @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:06PM
I'm quality sensitive.
Okay, that's unfair. I haven't played the game.
Yopark @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:08PM
this game is awesome! Wish i could afford it right now but i already preordered MW2
copa @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:36PM
Let me know when the $60 clearance sales start up, and I'll be all over this.
SirFishouse @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:08PM
I was pissed when i saw what my renegade money bought me. The dj hero website advertised renegade as having "metal controls and finish." It has only one metal control (singular) which is the crossfader and the finish is a high gloss plastic. I feel ripped off.
sony boy (6 years til sony man child!) @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:09PM
how do u still have your avatar??? i thought joystiq had law about porn or something.
Cheezeman3000 @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:31PM
You're surprised that Activision ripped you off?
Sly @ Nov 3rd 2009 6:34PM
at least you got a stand/case right? right?
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Nov 3rd 2009 7:18PM
Wiki-wiki-wiii?
Michael T [Planeteer | Power of Mr. T] @ Nov 3rd 2009 11:15PM
Was Activision at least kind enough to include complimentary Vaseline with that?
lafrankieboy @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:08PM
Seriously... amateur? The mashups were done by some of the best in the industry: Daft Punk, Z-Trip, Yoda, Jazzy Jeff... for you to make a comment saying that they were worse than amateur shows us that this isn't exactly your expertise. As a former DJ, and music editor, I find this game awesome. Not ground breaking, but there was a spot in the rhythm genre for electronic music and DJ Hero hits a homerun.
Their price point is where the real hurdle is, however. At $99 this game would sell a lot better for psychological reasons. $119 is a real niche price point. Hopefully ATVI will lower their pricing for the game and the coming DLC.
Discotheque @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:22PM
Some mixes just didn't sound right. No I don't know about creating mixes, clearly. But I've heard much better is all I'm saying.
And the excessive scratching just ruined the sound too. Not to mention electro was so poorly represented. Daft Punk is alright, but what else? One Eric Prydz song and...nothing much else.
Player1 @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:53PM
I listen to nothing but electronic music, dj as a hobby (vinyl and laptop), and I have no interest in this whatsoever. There is still a spot in the rhythm genre for electronic music.
fundando @ Nov 3rd 2009 9:24PM
Yeah MOST of the mixes are top notch although most of the guitar mixes are terribad. They sound forced.
ZombieRobot @ Nov 4th 2009 12:49AM
did you forget about Justice, Paul Van Dyke, Tiesto, Benny Benassi? someone doesnt know this game.
TBH I love all the mixes so far, sure some of the mixes done by the in house DJs at FreeStyle Games are pretty amateurish, but they still are fun.
Obviously if your not into scratching with a turntable you won't like playing this game.
If you do, and you like mash ups and even just some pure hip hop (Jay-Z, Grandmaster Flash) and electro (MEgamix 1 and 2 are basically redone versions of Daft Punk's Alive 2007 tour) then this game is for you.
punfect @ Nov 4th 2009 9:39AM
Has anyone noticed that since this game came out, everyone and there mother is claiming that they're a DJ?! I wonder if there were some undercover guitar players when Guitar Hero first came out.
Chris @ Nov 4th 2009 10:54AM
I think this game is excellent. Playing guitar hero/rock band on is so boring nowadays since I know my skill level has pretty much plateaued... I needed something fresh, and DJ Hero is a well polished and super fun game.
My favorite track is the one mixed with PVD's Nothing But You
sony boy (6 years til sony man child!) @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:08PM
sad, cuz this game is kinda good.
ZaxCG2 @ Nov 3rd 2009 8:53PM
Good, but not good enough to warrant such an investment.
elamhut @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:10PM
And here comes Kotick:
Next year we'll have Guitar Hero 6, 7, 8 and Mettalica 2 along with Guitar Hero Greenday and to innovate Instrumental Hero: Prince of Persia Soundtrack you can play Sax, Piano and use the Music Batton to guide the whole band!
Fuck it!
SirFishouse @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:12PM
http://www.djhero.com/game/renegade/
"Renegade Turntable Controller featuring premium metal controls and finish"
BS!
The game is fun to play though, but I basically bought a really nice case/table . A TV tray works just as well for a friend of mine.
Filthy Assistant @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:56PM
So you bought it without knowing what you were getting? Sounds like your problem.
Omega2k3 @ Nov 3rd 2009 7:43PM
It's actually more like false advertising, guy.
Ashkental @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:13PM
BRUTAL LEGEND!
Shagittarius @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:22PM
DECAPITATIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
JoeStillLife @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:13PM
my sister wants this for xmas....a little too expensive since shes already getting a camera. i think these games shouldn't be more than $80.
krash411 @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:18PM
"Losing interest in the played-out rhythm genre" Amen and amen.
Anex @ Nov 24th 2009 12:49PM
I'd blame that on the fact that activision makes a new game every time you turn around.
GiggMan @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:22PM
Well no one can say that they didn't try to do something different. I got my son the Renegade edition for Christmas and I hope that the peripheral gets some support in the future. One of the things it's got going against it is the price. Once the price goes down I can see more people picking this up.
Another thing that I think it's got going against it is the all over the place soundtrack. It seems that they are trying to cater to too many people at one time. I would personally like to have seen it be more hip hop oriented instead of the mixes with rock and what ever Daft Punk does. I personally know a lot of people who were intrigued by the concept but don't like rock music. You do not have to put rock music in everything in order for it to sell.
Anyway I personally love the sound track and can't wait to play this Christmas morning. I just hope that it incorporates more hip hop music in future DLC.
AcrobatSausages @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:23PM
I just hope the game does well enough to warrant a proper sequel, It's very entertaining, and although we arent a large portion of the gamer population, not all of us are big into rock music, no matter how fun RB and GH are. its nice to see my culture represented in a good game by something other than 50 cent. sure, it's expensive, but i had to offer my support for this.
Roncore @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:28PM
bring back frequency!
sony boy (6 years til sony man child!) @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:30PM
not the same dev, foo
Filthy Assistant @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:54PM
Rock Band Unplugged is basically Frequency/Amplitude.
Mr Mobius - the wandering artist @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:30PM
Plus there are many games half that price people want to play at the minute, so two games seems better sense than one game for the same price.
uncle jesse @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:31PM
The price tag definitely hurts this one. This is actually a damn fun game! I definitely recommend trying it out for yourself before you're quick to throw it in the 'rock band/guitar her' pile. It's a lot different than playing the instruments. Fun times.
But the price is steep....
Jack Tretton @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:32PM
PROTIP: Activision, please don't offer $1,200 in cold hard cash for every unsold copy of DJ Hero on the shelves this holiday season.
magicfett @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:32PM
120 for the game and yet another plastic peripheral to clutter up the room, and immediately they release more content that they expect us to pay for. I will wait on this one possibly indefinitely.
Kodros @ Nov 3rd 2009 6:38PM
"and immediately they release more content that they expect us to pay for."
And how is this different from every other rhythm game?
Bobby Kotick 2: Echoes @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:36PM
You want a comment? How about this?
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On a side note, I'm actuallly part of the Fight Against Grenade Spammers. Yep, I'm one of the F.A.G.S. Oh wait...
philmcphail @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:43PM
When is Bobby Kotick 3: Corruption coming out?
Bobby Kotick 2: Echoes @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:45PM
Whenever I get banned again.
Gun Barrier @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:45PM
Well at least somebody got it right.
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Nov 3rd 2009 7:50PM
Kotick why did you grabbed my ass on that elevator?
Bobby Kotick 2: Echoes @ Nov 3rd 2009 7:54PM
Because I'm part of the F.A.G.S. Was that the answer you wanted?
Zakeru @ Nov 3rd 2009 5:39PM
DJ hero is so expensive.i wont be able to buy anytime soon...