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Guitar Hero, Call of Duty franchises lead Activision's 'better-than-expected' Q3 2009

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 5th 2009 at 5:32PM }

Look, just feign surprise, it makes these financial posts so much more exciting: Activision today reported net revenues of $755 million (on a non-GAAP basis) in the quarter ending September 30, 2009 -- that's $55 million more than the suits hoped to stack, according to previous projections. While the blockbuster adaptation of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen might have played a part in this outpouring of our money, we're gonna go with Kotick's explanation: "Our performance was driven by positive audience response to Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero 5, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, and the Guitar Hero and Call of Duty franchises, as well as Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft."

In fact, the CEO called Guitar Hero the year's "#1 best-selling third-party franchise in North America and Europe" through September, claiming that U.S. sales of music games increased 72 percent year over year in September. Last year's big-band-box edition, World Tour, and Call of Duty: World at War combined for total, world domination, becoming this year's "#1 and #2 best-selling third-party titles" in North America and Europe through September, according to Activision. Additionally, World at War DLC map pack sales continued to climb last quarter and have now surpassed 7.5 million purchases.

Needless to say, the publisher is not backing off of its prior financial outlook. Activision anticipates annual net revenues of $4.5 billion (on a non-GAAP basis) at the close of the year. Did you remember to feign surprise?

Guitar Hero 5: November DLC

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 3:00PM }

Sure, November may lack the phonetic building blocks which allow the word "Rock" to be tucked in there somehow, but that doesn't mean it won't bring any hard-rockin' jams to Guitar Hero 5. We've got the full list of DLC that's coming to the game next month posted after the jump, including selections from Lenny Kravitz, Metallica, KISS and others. One bundle, the "Neversoft Thanks the Fans Track Pack," will be absolutely free. The other packs, will follow the 160

($2, 200 Wii Points) per song, 440

($5.50, 550 Wii Points) per three-song pack pricing structure of last month's releases.

In addition, on Nov. 5, players will be able to import 61 of Band Hero's tracks into Guitar Hero 5 for 400

($5, 500 Wii Points), or 69 of Guitar Hero 5's tracks into Band Hero for 480

($6, 600 Wii Points). Hooray for sharing!

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Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 29th 2009 at 5:00AM }

When celebrities get on board for a game, the inevitable pitfall is the dreaded interview where said celebrity awkwardly tries relating to the "gamer" crowd (trust us, we know all about it.) With DJ Hero dropping this week, celebrity sponsor Jay-Z sat down with MTV News to talk about how much of a gamer he is (hint: not so much) and his support for the cultural awareness opportunities inherent in the recently released turntable title.

"Immediately, of course, with the success of Guitar Hero, you know, [DJ Hero] piqued my interest, and then on top of that it was something from the hip-hop culture. So, anytime you can, you know, I can expand the genre and introduce it to new audiences and widen it -- you know, the reach of what hip-hop can do -- you know, I'm interested in that," Jay-Z explains in the video interview (embedded after the break).

As far as Jay-Z's gaming roots, that's another story altogether. "I was really a gamer," Jay-Z urges. "Like, ask any of the guys. Like, I used to -- Madden and all these type of games," Jay-Z awkwardly cobbles together, "I was, like, really a problem. Like, those were my things -- for awhile." Presumably, until, you know, he got all that other stuff that impresses us, right? It's okay, Mr. Z -- you don't have to impress us with your gaming prowess, too. It's not like we have the numbers of "the guys" to fact check your claims anyway.

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Band Hero's DS 'drum skin' in action

by JC Fletcher { Oct 28th 2009 at 9:50PM }

Activision is making people believe in the weird DS "drum skin" attachment for Band Hero the best way it knows how: by finding the most excitable shills it can in shopping centers, and putting the game in their hands. Predictably, they love it. We've never seen a mall so full of people willing to dance awkwardly to a DS game.

The buttons that go on top of the DS's buttons are only one of the selling points espoused in this trailer. Band Hero's extensive track list and flexible multiplayer (just like in the console version, you can combine instruments in any configuration) get lip service too. But they aren't as noticeable as that thing you put on the DS to play drums.

Science makes Air Guitar Hero a reality

by JC Fletcher { Oct 28th 2009 at 10:00AM }

University of Washington Ph.D. student Scott Saponas demonstrated his muscle-movement interface for computer systems, by using it to control a familiar application: Guitar Hero. The system appears to guess finger movements by reading the signals from muscles in the forearm. The result: a true air guitar experience. In the custom Guitar Hero setup, the player can hold frets simply by touching a finger with his thumb, and strum by, well, strumming the air. See it in action after the break!

This is just a demonstration of some experimental technology. It's not specifically a game controller, and Activision won't be shipping electrodes to stores any time soon. This is a presentation for the Association for Computer Machinery's Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology -- the Guitar Hero thing just makes for an impressive show.

[Via Kotaku]

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Use a real guitar to play Rock Band 2 AND get punched while doing so!

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 28th 2009 at 5:00AM }

Normally when people mod real instruments for use in music-rhythm games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, they don't intentionally include the ability for someone else to play along by punching them. For Norway's Morten Skogly, that choice seemed only natural. On his website, you can see a shot-by-shot breakdown of the process necessary to transform something that creates music into something that plays along with music.

In fairness, the entire (ridiculously intricate) process leads to the hilarious video you'll find after the break. You see, rather than strum on the strings of his guitar, the punching gloves (punching him, mind you) approximate a strum for him. That means that every time he pushes a note, he gets punched. It's like penance!

[Image credit]

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Football Hero mod probably the biggest 'Hero' yet

by Justin McElroy { Oct 27th 2009 at 12:57PM }

The next time your friends complain about soccer being boring, you can do something slightly more productive than silently mocking their boorish lack of sophistication. You can show them this video of "Football Hero" (after the break), which consists of soccer players kicking balls into a gigantic, vibration-sensitive screen to play Frets on Fire, a freeware adaptation of Guitar Hero's core gameplay.

Then, just for us, make sure you convince them that every soccer match is exactly like this.

[Via Engadget]

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Altec Lansing feeds rock fantasies with mini monitor

by Justin McElroy { Oct 21st 2009 at 1:00PM }

Ever have a musician friend over to your house, only to find yourself ever-so-slightly embarrassed by the pile of fake instruments filling your den? Well, you should probably never let them catch you with the Altec Lansing Stage-Gig, a replica monitor meant to give guitar heroes the sense of a real rock show by blaring their audio straight up at them from the floor.

It's kind of a cute idea, but we're not sure we're willing to pay $99 to have our 5.1 audio replaced by a single Altec Lansing speaker. Sure, you could buy two and have a really inconvenient stereo setup, but we think it's safe to chalk up another victory for imagination.

[Via Engadget]

Harmonix calls for an encore in Gibson patent case

by JC Fletcher { Oct 21st 2009 at 9:15AM }

The patent suit brought by Gibson against Harmonix and other parties related to Guitar Hero and Rock Band was stayed due to the US Patent and Trademark Office deciding to reexamine the patent. According to Patent Arcade, Harmonix and a group of retailers have asked a Tennessee court to continue proceedings -- of the case against them.

Why is Harmonix engaging in this seemingly self-destructive (but not in the cool rock star way) behavior? When the USPTO looked into the patent again, it changed the definition of "musical instrument" to include the characteristics of being "adapted for making musical sounds" and "the instrument audio signal comprising an electrical signal output by the musical instrument that varies in response to operation of the instrument by the user of the system."

Harmonix apparently believes that because of this new definition, and because of the precedent set by Gibson's other case, against Activision, the case will go in its favor in the end. If the stay is lifted, Harmonix will then file a motion for summary judgment of non-infringement.

Beatles: Rock Band bests Guitar Hero 5 in U.S. Sept. sales

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 20th 2009 at 12:30PM }

The Beatles: Rock Band's initial U.S. tour at retail has proven boast-worthy for its promoters. Following two promising platform appearances in NPD's top 10 software sales chart for September, MTV Games and Harmonix have declared B:RB "the top selling music video game in the U.S. for September." The Beatles–only game (released September 9) outsold Guitar Hero 5 (released September 1) with 595,000 units to 499,000 units in total U.S. sales for the month, according to a statement released by the NPD*. Additionally, charity-driven purchases of the "All You Need Is Love" DLC track exceeded 100,000 downloads on Xbox 360 in September.

The makers of B:RB have also rubbed in a few seemingly noteworthy facts; namely, (1) U.S. purchases of GH5 in September were eligible for a free mail-away copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen, and (2) GH5 is available on one additional platform, PS2. Of course, Van Halen isn't exactly the American equivalent of The Beatles, and the PS2 is no longer the dominant platform to stage one's acts upon. Still, despite the staggering odds stacked against its success, B:RB managed to capture the mindshare of U.S. gamers. (And we all know that Americans like to speak their minds with their monies.)

The sales de-feat must feel good for MTV Games and Harmonix -- what with B:RB being burned in the sales competition with GH5 by the kingdom that birthed the band (see: Chart-Track UK September sales rankings posted after the break). What was it? Right: Guitar Hero 5 supposedly outsold The Beatles: Rock Band "2-to-1 in the UK."

So, score a victory for B:RB in the battle of the bands fought in U.S. retail last month. But let's not forget there's a bigger, "World War of Rock" being waged, as well. And our wallets are the oft-unreported collateral damage.

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Full Band Hero track list, importable songs revealed

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 19th 2009 at 10:34AM }

If you've been savoring the slow trickle of track list announcements for Activision's tween-oriented rhythm title, Band Hero, your prolonged pleasure is about to come to a satisfying, yet abrupt end. The publisher has revealed all of the songs that will be available on the generically monikered game, and we've posted them -- along with details about compatible DLC and song importing from other Guitar Hero games -- after the jump in the least confusing manner we could possibly conjure. To help in this endeavor, we've even added a table of contents!

Man, we're seriously too nice for our own good.

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Activision couldn't help but sign on to help market 'Couples Retreat'

by Xav de Matos { Oct 18th 2009 at 11:30AM }

If you're anything like us, you went running out to see the latest Vince Vaughn / Jon Favreau vehicle Couples Retreat the second you heard about the exciting partnership between Activision's Guitar Hero franchise and Universal contained within. You see, Vaughn's character works as a Guitar Hero salesperson (does that exist?) -- a point that comes into play when the film features a plastic peripheral-powered GH duel between Vaughn's character and a resort staffer. According to Variety, Vaughn and Favreau wrote the music rhythm game into the film because they are fans of the series, leading Activision to sign on as one of the film's many marketing partners.

"When we heard that Vince's character is a salesperson of the video game we laughed hysterically," Will Kassoy, senior VP of publishing at Activision, told Variety. With the film opening to a $35.3 million weekend, it appears everyone involved was laughing all the way to the bank, proving that hackneyed premises can still sneak their way into just about any kind of mainstream media and work. With Favreau prepping the return of Iron Man, Kassoy said Activision "wouldn't mind" if the superhero decided to pick up a Guitar Hero controller. Now that's synergy!

Band Hero demo walking on Xbox Live

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 15th 2009 at 12:00PM }

The Major sends word that a Band Hero demo is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo allows players to try out three different songs in the new, family-friendly Hero title and offers both the Party Play mode and the new Sing-Along mode. The three playable songs are:

Finger Eleven - "Paralyzer"
Katrina & The Waves - "Walking on Sunshine"
Taylor Swift - "Picture to Burn"

That's right, Taylor Swift is right there. With some clever positioning and a few mirrors, you might be able to convince your daughter this is the full game, saving you the trouble of actually buying it. Good luck.

Runnin' Late with the Devil: Guitar Hero Van Halen delayed on PS3

by JC Fletcher { Oct 15th 2009 at 9:32AM }

If you have a PS3 and Guitar Hero 5, you might have noticed that, well, you don't have your free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen. While copies of the freebie are shipping out for the other systems, all PS3 owners are getting right now is an apologetic email.

"Unfortunately, we made a printing error on the package of Guitar Hero Van Halen," the email explains. "Fortunately, we caught and remedied the error prior to sending your disc. Our effort to ensure a completely positive customer experience has resulted in a slight delay in shipping your copy of the game."

Activision promises to begin mailing the game out this week. The good news, we suppose, is that everyone affected by this delay has Guitar Hero 5 to play in the meantime. If you're an insider and can tell us what the printing error was, we have to know. Did the title say "Guitar Hero: Van Helen?" Was it rated "E" for "Eddie"?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Activision: Guitar Hero 5 launch 'probably' franchise's best, DLC sales getting 'interesting' [update 2]

by David Hinkle { Oct 14th 2009 at 4:45PM }

If you want to know anything about Guitar Hero, you talk to Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Activision's Guitar Hero division. (Yeah, it has its own division.) Speaking to GI.biz, Rosensweig offered -- rather candidly, we might add -- some insight into the performance of Activision's latest, Guitar Hero 5, and its DLC.

While one might assume that a series' strength starts to wane once it gets around to having the number "5" in its title, that's apparently not the case for Guitar Hero. Rosensweig claims that "the public report suggests that we've outsold 2/2.5/3-to-1 over Rock Band ... and we've probably sold more copies of Guitar Hero 5 than any other Guitar Hero game at launch." Sure, that's a pretty big probably, but Guitar Hero 5 is "fun as hell," after all -- and advertising the game with Playboy Bunnies probably didn't hurt sales either.

As for DLC, Rosensweig suggests that it's generating a ton of revenue for the franchise -- funny how that happens when you start to stick to a regular release schedule -- as users appear eager to expand their playable music libraries. While Activision doesn't release actual figures, Rosensweig touts that "each month [in DLC sales] is a record versus the previous month, and it's getting to the point of being interesting." Heck, what'll be really interesting is seeing how much of this financial success makes its way into Kotick's bonus for 2009 ...

Update 2: Activision has clarified Rosenweig's statements, saying he was, "Speaking only about Europe. The specific public report he is referring to is the September Charttrack data. For the month of September, GH5 outsold The Beatles: Rock Band by nearly 2-to-1 in the U.K."

Update: Dan Rosensweig's "2/2.5/3-to-1" sales comparison between Guitar Hero and Rock Band was a bit ambiguous (Europe? North America? Worldwide?), so we've contacted Activision for clarification.