Music game sales continue plunge down the charts

by James Ransom-Wiley on Nov 19th 2010 11:00PM

If this sounds like a familiar tune, it is: Music game sales have plummeted for a second-straight year. But this year, the tune is way more off key.

According to analysis by Gamasutra, which looked at the period from January through October in each of the past three years, music game revenues in the U.S. have taken a phenomenal nose dive from an epic height of $1.6 billion in 2008 to where they've landed today: under $250 million for the year. "Short of a Christmas miracle," concludes analyst Matt Matthews, "music games won't break $400 million for all of 2010."

Ohhh ... so that's why Viacom's hawking Harmonix.

Source: Gamasutra

Reader Comments (68)

Well Activision, you gotta go and ruin everything don't you?

@johnjohn122 Yeah, well..that's just like your opinion, man

Too bad, Rock Band 3 is amazing.

@Jenks

RB3 could be amazing... if they'd fix some of the game breakers...

- Ability to play Guitar, Bass, & Keyboard without the lame All-Instruments mode, which doesn't work online, and which automatically queues up a vocalist, even if there isn't one
- Vocal Overdrive activation
- Console freezing during certain cut-scenes (it's a plague, ask around)

Well, it took longer than I expected but I'm glad it's over. Another fine example of what happens when you milk your customers with incomplete, featureless and all around recycled concepts.

@Scion So you've never played a Harmonix game, right?

@johnjohn122 Errr... Isn't that basically every game?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKUOB8MN4Kc

@johnjohn122
So pretty much every fighting game ever?

I did my part by buying Rock Band 3 on day one! Harmonix doesn't deserve to suffer for Activision's milking.

@squallgengar
I didn't go day one, but I've laid down my cash for it as well.

I think Dance Central is going to be Harmonix's saving grace though. Might even make Viacom regret selling them? Who knows.

@johnjohn122 Nay, sir. Nay.

It's the complete opposite. Harmonix created two franchises that had the balls to not only question what it takes to make a successful music-rhythm game but to also open individual's--both young and old--ears to new and old music alike. There's an amazing catalog of music. They treated The Beatles with the utmost respect and the Rock Band Network was, and still is, brilliant in its on right.

As far as the "press these buttons" situation you speak of, go talk to Neversoft. There the ones who chart guitar solos like they're a Jackson Pollack painting.

It's true. It was a quick gimmick.

I can see it though; The year is 2012, and a Joystiq post reads: "Motion control game sales continue to plunge down the charts."

That is, of course, if no one figures out how to use the motion control as a way to build upon another idea. If we only had games prompting us to press the right button at the right time when they flashed on the screen, the regular controller would have flopped eventually.

@The Nasty Nick you mean any game with quick time events? which seems to be most action games these days...

@Agnostiq

Ah, yes, but almost no action game is *entirely* quick time events. Thats the issue. You re-release the same concept over and over, and never build upon the execution, the mechanics, the presentation, or anything. (and no, making you a DJ instead of a Rockstar really doesn't change anything except the piece of plastic you hold in your hand.)

What I really would like to see? Kinect enabled music games. Strategy and development. Manage your tour perhaps, choosing venues and stage props. Use Kinect to move around the stage, keeping all fans equally rocked. Well timed stage dives?

And then decide when to be done. Just because it worked once doesn't mean you should keep developing the same sequel over and over.

I have and in fact I've seen it on the sales side and listened to the customer complaints. You can only change a skin so many times before people cry foul. Look, I'm not saying what was INITIALLY created wasn't revolutionary, Harmonix is a group of geniuses. However, when a company like Activision takes a franchise and changes the featured band, it gets old, quickly.

So are we all ready to move on to the next big thing: dancing games?

I know I am.

@Perfidious Sinn
Oh my God.
Dance Dance Revolution wasn't enough? Pump it up? Mario's Dance Party? Do we really have to go back to saturating this genre too?

@mikeburnfire Yeah, that's how it works; Japanese devs make unpopular (outside of Japan) games, Harmonix makes a great and somewhat popular western version of it... then Activision kills it for everyone.

I wouldn't count Harmonix out yet I think Dance Central is selling like golden hotcakes made with delicious crack sugar.

rock band isnt even a game to me anymore, its more of a bordom killer. there will always be the fps, platformer, sports game, but if i get sick of those i always go to rock band

@tasteofink313 gotta say ever since RB1 launch day I have played a RB game more every single week without fail more than every other game and console combined, and I've got everything BUT a psp... I play me a LOT of games but RB is like an MMO that doesn't take over your life. It actually encourages you to have friends over, rather than to leave early to make it home to raid... mix in some booze, some friends, you have a fun evening that even the GF's and wives enjoy.

@Agnostiq exactly, its like the mario party of the 00's lol

@tasteofink313 Rock Band is my Saturday night go-to. It is either movies or Rock Band, depending on what is going on Sunday. If Sunday is free, Rock Band gets it because we'll spend a good five or six hours playing, where if there is something going on (work or what have you) then a movie or two will do. Plus with them adding the ability to learn real instruments with their plastic replicas, it makes the time spent playing actually productive. It is amazing that people are complaining so much about lack of innovation when this iteration of Rock Band has the ability to change the way we look at music games. Their goal of using a game to make or learn to make music has been realized. It is pretty exciting if you aren't a jaded elitist prick.

What did they expect when they were pushing out like 6 Guitar Hero and Rock Band games per year?

There's a reason Mario has been successful for 25 years, and that's because Nintendo only make new Mario games when they have something new to add.

@Esposch
2005: Guitar Hero
2006: Guitar Hero 2
2007: GH Encore - Guitar Hero 3
2008: Aerosmith - World Tour - Decades World Tour
2009: Metallica - Guitar Hero 5 - Smash Hits - Band Hero - Van Halen
2010: Warriors of Rock

2007: Rock Band
2008: Rock Band 2
2009: Lego - Beatles
2010: Green Day - Rock Band 3

(Minus the mobile versions of course)

@InfinitiProject

Don't forget Band Hero and DJ Hero.

Keep in mind this article clearly says they looked at January through October. Guess when RB3 came out? End of October. Don't cry just yet.

Though I will say I'm rather disappointed at the song lineup in RB3. Sorting by categories, there's like 15+ "pop-rock" songs, and they even have friggin' Bob Marley. Guys...really? Clearly the added features are where RB3 shines.

@CnEY Rb3 sales have been terrible.

i'm definitely a little sick of music games and won't be buying one anytime soon, but i think its unsurprising that sales would go down. i'm sure a lot of people bought new drum sets/guitars/rock band 2 in 2008 and have just been getting occasional DLC since then. i probably spent $250 on the game/equipment that year, and maybe $100 in dlc since then. i think the business model of music games was going to inevitably going to lead to diminishing sales.

@SpookyApparition first post on this site and it has a grammatical error... and i don't know how to edit it. goddammit.

@SpookyApparition

Welcome to Joystiq! Enjoy your lack of edit/delete button.

They started out a niche, and now they're returning to a niche. I see nothing wrong with this to be perfectly honest.

Ya well we buy the most DLC...

Rythym games FTW.

@johnjohn122
"HI, I HATE THIS TYPE OF GAME AND SO SHOULD YOU."

I'm actually in the middle of a setlist in RB3 as I type this, but my opinion on the matter is thus:

my xbox 360 lives and dies on Rock Band. Microsoft owes most of my business to Harmonix. I play routinely; I play with friends routinely, and I buy DLC routinely. Great way to relax, unlike most games, which are more about getting frustrated haha.

I'm a big fan of Harmonix and Rock Band and skipped out on RB3. Playing the game just felt tired after all those hours I put into. I'm content with the past games and all the DLC on my PS3. The last music game I bought was DJ Hero because it offered something fresh.

@johnjohn122 Wow. You've changed my mind. I guess I wasn't having fun all those times singing rock n roll high school.

music games are finished. not much more you can improve or get out the genre. the real money now is dance games. Dance central just dance and such. it has already shown that people are into it with just dance going over a million

Damn, the sales for RB3 are not that good. Shame. It is an amazing game.

@johnjohn122

Hey f- you buddy. Guitar Hero/Rock Band directly my vague sense of good music to being a huge music guy. I actually wasn't a big fan of RB3's tracklist, most of the songs were just songs that I've already heard.

Expected, to be honest. Look at it not from a gamer's perspective but from a Joe Blogg's perspective, as these people were obviously generating such high sales. The fad is over. Heck, apart from a dedicated few I know, most Rock Band kits sit in the cupboard. If that's already happening, a new game just isn't enough to relight the candle. Sad, but true.

It's okay, lots of things have their time in the limelight. After a while, we'll be trying to remind ourselves what all the fuss about Lady GaGa was about.

Man, I don't really dig all these comments that lump all music games together under a single category.

Really, Rock Band was a quality ass series thus far. If you can't recognize that, you haven't even played it worth nothing.

In that same vein there are people like me who really enjoy rhythm games, particularly Rock Band and its level of quality gaming. I really hope this isn't the death throe of the genre, because there is indeed some great stuff in it.

Rock Band isn't Guitar Hero guys, get your stuff straight already. It'd be like calling all FPS games stupid and lumping in stuff like Bioshock, Half-Life, and Mirrors Edge in with Modern Warfare 2, Medal of Honor and Bad Company 2.

@wcarnation I'm with this guy. Love the Genera, love the developer, and don't really understand all the hate on a AMAZINGLY REVIEWED GAME

@Chazzr So its great they're gone cause you care for them? Like, was it a burden to bear that other people were having fun with something you don't like?

@johnjohn122

Seriously? Everyone here likes music games? No support for him at all? And my support is genuine, not out of sympathy.

Assuming it wasn't a part of the revenue breakdown, I'd love to know what the figures look like when you add DLC into the mix. If Harmonix continues to make DLC as they have after the auction I'll most likely spend more on that than I would have on any new rhythm game software/hardware that would have come out.

Still, sucks to hear. I don't know if I should grab pro peripherals while I still can (nz hates stocking RB as it is) or wait for a firesale.

Perhaps the casual market drove sales of music games and that casual audience is making financial cutbacks thanks to the lousy economy. For a member of the casual audience, when financial cutbacks need to be made, video games are one of the first things to go. Wii sales are down compared to last year as well. Music games might be down even more than other areas of the casual sector because the casual audience doesn't appreciate the subtle additions that Harmonix has made with each iteration of its franchises. "Why should I spend $60 on Rock Band 3 when I already have Guitar Hero 2?". I agree with those who blame Activision as well. Of course, Harmonix could have decided to retire the Guitar Hero name rather than selling it to Activision so they are partially to blame.

@Bakeriffic Harmonix did not own the name "Guitar Hero" Red Octane did. They were the ones purchased by Activision.

@Bakeriffic Harmonix never owned the name 'Guitar Hero.' They were the developer hired by Red Octane to create the game. Red Octane, the owner of the GH name was purchased by Activision. Harmonix never had the option to 'retire' the name.

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Music game sales continue plunge down the charts

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Posted: Nov 19th 2010 11:11PM The Cole Train said

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