Guitar Hero III Beats Black Ops in Lifetime Revenue

[Tom Goldman]

Guitar Hero III Beats Black Ops in Lifetime Revenue

According to the NPD, Guitar Hero III is the biggest grossing game in recent history.

Guitar Hero III [http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Black-Ops-Xbox-360/dp/B003JVKHEQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301061243&sr=8-1] takes the revenue crown.

Guitar Hero III has reportedly generated $830.9 million in sales, while Black Ops brought in $787.4 million. Black Ops isn't that far behind, and will likely overtake Guitar Hero III in 2011 considering it launched less than a year ago in November 2010, while Guitar Hero III launched in October 2007.

The top five are rounded out by Rock Band [http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Fit-Plus-Balance-Board-Nintendo/dp/B002BSA3EM/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1301061284&sr=1-1] with $670.7 million. All of these figures combine the revenue from bundles (i.e. Guitar Hero with the guitar peripheral) with standalone disc sales.

Guitar Hero III was the introduction of the once super-popular series to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and it obviously rode that wave for as long as it could before crashing. Activision could make a comeback [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/107672-Activision-Pulls-the-Plug-on-Guitar-Hero-Franchise]. If it doesn't, the Guitar Hero series will have to be happy with never having a single game hit that $1 billion revenue mark on its own, and that'd be a tragedy.

Source: Gamasutra [http://www.cnbc.com/id/42253109]

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[Azmael Silverlance]

whats the difference between Selling and Grossing

 

[Srdjan Tanaskovic]

whats the difference between Selling and Grossing

Selling: How much is sold

Grossing: How much money it brings in

 

[Slaanax]

so adding peripherals to your game is where the money is at, no wonder why the companies keep adding stuff like that.

 

[DTWolfwood]

i have to agree as that is the one and only Music Rhythm game i own!

Plus its responsible for turning me onto Dragonforce and their completely 1 dimensional videogame music style! also +1 for asian guitarist XD

 

[MercurySteam]

Next to GH: Greatest Hits and the original Rockband, this is one of the only worthwhile music games worth shelling out for.

 

[Super Jamz]

I still think it's ridiculous that people think Black Ops is better than Modern Warfare.

But hey, Guitar Hero making more money isn't too surprising.

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

whats the difference between Selling and Grossing

Selling means they sold more copies, Grossing means they made more money.

The problem is it means jack shit. Black ops is hardly behind at all and it's got about 4 years to catch up to that number.

Now guitar Hero might have grossed more, but it had high volume items to help it out.Black Ops has what? A $60 game? Guitar Hero had the game with guitar (which everyone had to initially buy unless they had guitar hero 2 controller), just the controller, and the stand alone game. The extra $30 (I think) dollars from the guitar controller helped them alot. Broke the controller, had to get a new one. wanted to play? you had to pay about $100 instead of $60.

So considering Guitar hero's main sales were $100 per item, and Black Ops was $60.

Combined with the fact that Black ops has been out 4 years less than guitar hero and is already getting the lube out to take Guitar Hero from behind...

These stats are not RELATIVE to the game's release time. Therefore, useless and innacurate

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

so adding peripherals to your game is where the money is at, no wonder why the companies keep adding stuff like that.

There's actually no money in the peripherals. Notice black ops has been out for 5 months and has almost made as much as 5 years of guitar hero, and has already passed RockBand (which had peripheral sets for the whole band). They did in 4 months what someone did in 5 years... So the peripherals are good in the long run, but a game like black ops are good always (in terms of cash)

 

[Armored Prayer]

Way to go GH3.

Its the only music game I own and I still say it had the best setlist of songs. But damn it why did you stop selling the separate 360 guitar earlier than the others? I'd play it more if could get my hands on a guitar controller.

 

[Xanthious]

Never understood the music games. Always seemed like a REALLY expensive version of Simon with a shitty soundtrack.

 

[Riobux]

What can be said besides Bobby is a businessman who can operate in any industry? Sure he is an emotionless robot that feeds on the nightmares and tears of gamers and consumes money at a rate that can only be described as the core root problem that caused all the recent recession problems from 2000 to now, but he's a businessman who knows how to maximize profit at the cost of consumer satisfaction, employee happiness and quality.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Wasn't that the last good GH game?

I recall a fantastic track list...

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Wasn't that the last good GH game?

I recall a fantastic track list...

Indeed.

I'd say it was the best one, but that's quite debatable.

So, good for it. Doesn't mean I like BO less or anything.

 

[luckycharms8282]

I only ever bought the first guitar hero on PS2. I hope activision doesnt do the same to the cod series (although Im positive that one day they will). As long as they dont come out with a call of duty: soldiers of rock, I think the series will be alright for awhile.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

Plus its responsible for turning me onto Dragonforce and their completely 1 dimensional videogame music style! also +1 for asian guitarist XD

I think you've really hit on the best way to indicate you like Dragonforce - by stating outright that you're already aware that their style is completely 1-dimensional, the Metal snob's almost instinctual need to criticize you for liking them (because of Guitar Hero no less) is neatly blunted by your demonstration that you already know why they want/need to criticize you for liking Dragonforce; rather takes the wind out of our overly smug sails that way, you're basically immune to mockery. Bravo!

 

[WingedFortress]

Ah, rest easy old friend. We all still remember how much we paid for you.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

Wasn't GH2 the introduction of the series to the current generation of consoles?

 

[mjc0961]

All of these figures combine the revenue from bundles (i.e. Guitar Hero with the guitar peripheral) with standalone disc sales.

Yup, that explains it. Not only do you get an overpriced game (a bunch of quick time events isn't worth $60 as far as I'm concerned), you also get some overpriced guitar controllers too. Not surprising to see how Guitar Hero 3 made more money than even Black Ops. You paid $100 for about $40-$50 worth of stuff.

Hell, imagine how much higher it would have been if they could have tracked all the sales of overpriced DLC too.