Will Activision’s “Hero” brand transcend home consoles? It’s something that’s being looked at and should even be expected, according to comments made by company CEO Bobby Kottick. Activision seems to think that they need to explore additional avenues to keep sales chugging along, especially in the light of sluggish sales. It seems that the more titles released with the “Hero” stamp, the slower sales seem to get. Could oversaturation be the real cause? It’s possible people are just getting sick of pretending to play music.
When introduced in 2005, Guitar Hero was a new and risky venture. Its surprising success, however, continued with Guitar Hero II. However, the writing was on the walls when Harmonix left to create Rock Band with EA, leaving Activision with the half-finished “Rocks the 80s” expansion. When it was released in its stripped down state, it was clear that this series was heading down a dangerous path. The next major release, Guitar Hero III, was more fleshed out, and did a good job carrying on the conventions set by earlier entries despite the fact that it was handled by a new developer. The game even supported downloadable content, so many users felt comfortable buying a game where the setlist, theoretically, could always see additions.
That was in 2007, and four “Hero” titles were released to that point, five if you count the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. The year is now 2009. Activision will have released eight more on consoles by the end of the calendar year. The average is 2.4 a year if you start with the original, but 2008 and 2009 are where the exploitation really starts to show its face. Each year will each have seen four major releases a piece by January 1, 2010. If that seems like a lot, well, it is. But it looks even worse when you begin to analyze how unnecessary many of the releases actually are.
The first major point of concern is artist specific expansions, and whether or not they are a necessity. There’s absolutely no reason why gamers should have to shell out big bucks for a disc of songs that could easily be released as downloadable content. Its even worse when one considers “Smash Hits,” which is a collection of songs found on the earlier games. These could have been made downloadable as well. Luckily, consumers voted with their wallets and it met with tepid sales.
The next is concerning full blown sequels, and it falls largely under the same problem. There’s no problem with Activision releasing a full stand-alone package for Guitar Hero 5 if new customers want to get in on the experience. But why can’t those who purchased last year’s “World Tour” simply pay to download the new songs into their already existing game? Nobody really cares about new venues or shirts for their characters, especially not for $60. Is Band Hero really necessary? Why does it need to be a totally seperate product? Different markets? Please. Different sets of commercials aimed at the proper demographics would do a better job than further splintering an already divided market.
It’s supposed to be about the music, man, and we’re still paying high prices for extra discs that aren’t even compatable with eachother. Disc swapping is something that should be a thing of the past in today’s era of consoles. Even Rock Band allows you to upload the first game into the second for the sake of convenience. If it has to do with how you negotiated song rights, well, it’s your own fault. How about a little forward thinking next time? Then again, you did let the studio who seems to be getting it right for the fans walk right out the door.
It’s possible Kottick’s onto something here, and will make a killing by making the “Hero” games a runaway success by stepping out of the umbrella of home consoles. They’re not going to have to pay any of the big three licensing fees and will make straight profit, that is, after paying the for the music rights. But other companies will surely ride the coattails of good sales here, and raise the level on an already flooded market. Just take a look at what happened when Pong was released as a standalone product and you’ll get a pretty good indication of how this will do. It will eventually flame out.
The fact is, it’s a short-term solution to stop-gag the leaks that are forming in the once mighty S.S. Hero. Natural extensions like DJ Hero make sense, seeing as how it’s a previously unexplored aspect of music for the brand. Even expanding to a full set of instruments made sense. But most of the titles coming out do nothing a modestly priced download, or set of downloads couldn’t do. Activision isn’t just milking the cow dry, they’re taking it out back, slitting it open and harvesting its organs. After they dry the skin and sell it as leather, one has to wonder what franchise they’ll take to ruining next.
I’m waiting for Orchestra Band Hero where you get to play a cello or a oboe.