Activision: DJ Hero Will Be "More Mainstream" Than Guitar Hero

[Andy Chalk]

Activision: DJ Hero Will Be "More Mainstream" Than Guitar Hero

Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith says that despite the popularity of the DJ Hero [http://www.guitarhero.com/] will attract an even "more mainstream" audience than its predecessor.

The Guitar Hero games make up one of the most successful videogame franchises in the world, with an installed user base of over 15 million unique households and sales in excess of $2 billion. By all appearances the game would seem to be the embodiment of mainstream success, yet Griffith says he expects DJ Hero to go beyond even that.

"[DJ Hero] is certainly hitting a more mainstream and expanded audience from Guitar Hero. I think it will build on what Guitar Hero has been able to do," he said in an interview with GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/activisions-mike-griffiths]. "If you look at what our Guitar Hero franchise has achieved, we now have 15 million households that are active Guitar Hero users and we continue to satisfy them with more experiences and the chance to indulge in more music and gameplay."

"But outside of those 15 million household's, there's another 300 million that haven't for one reason or another bought Guitar Hero yet. One of those reasons is we're not reaching new genres and new music audiences in a way that DJ Hero allows us to accomplish," he continued. "DJ Hero is going to be expansive to the franchise and be particularly exciting for Europe where that genre of music is arguably more important than it is elsewhere."

He added that while it's "too early to say" whether future versions of DJ Hero will be branded in a fashion similar to that of Guitar Hero: Metallica [http://www.guitarhero.com/ghaerosmith/], Activision does have deals in place with Jay-Z and Eminem, and that "a special SKU which will come with two discs" is also being released.

I'm having a hard time seeing a game based on "Wii [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turntablism].


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[Diablini]

If that is posible.

 

[The Rockerfly]

No it won't. The amount of people who have Guitar Hero is insane so any franchise would have a tough time becoming more mainstream. Also in my opinion, there are more people who want to be a guitar God than a Dj one (coming from personal experience) so there is a high demand for Guitar Hero too. Plus it just looks like a joke IMO.

 

[Angron]

i dont no of any gamers that care about games that like dancey DJy music, all of them i no like rock/metal music, which guitar hero caters for.

also, arnt dancy DJy people too cool for games, they dont want to be geeks do they? hmm...maybe souja boy or whatever his name is will go online and challenge anyone who thinks they can take him...

 

[Reg0]

im gonna stan by my already sceptical view that this will outshine guitar hero

rock music has a history and many of the songs shaped modern music, such artists and guns and roses metalica etc

people are going to play this game and for the most part probably never heard of many of the tracks within the game

 

[ZeroMachine]

Like we need something more mainstream... besides, Guitar Hero has become so popular that it is mainstream.

Also, I felt that Guitar Hero often introduced classic songs to people that wouldn't have normally heard them. That was one of the good things about it. This game just seems, well... backwards. Which is ironic. I think. Er...

... Yeah, I'm gonna stop now.

 

[TaborMallory]

Unfortunately for them, rock style music has been around for a longer time, is enjoyed by far more people, and sounds way better.

 

[Therumancer]

I don't think you get more mainstream than Guitar Hero. It might outsell it due to more gamers, but at most it will be equally mainstream.

Besides which to be honest just about everyone has sat around playing air guitar or whatever, more so than have sat there and done something similar about being a virtual disc jockey.

Guitarists are more legendary than DJs in the popular conscience I'd say. I mean I think a Jimi Hendrix or someone like that has more emulators than say a Wolfman Jack.

>>>----Therumancer--->

 

[XJ-0461]

Guitar Hero will stay top of the pile. Not "it might", it will. More people would want to pretend to be a rockstar than a DJ, therefore Guitar Hero will stay more popular.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

So it's going to be dumbed down with a lot of shit Mainstream Music?

Hoor-freakin'- yay.

/sarcasm

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

When did "more mainstream" become anything other than a groin kick for guitar playing?

 

[calelogan]

I can't recall ever in my life seeing someone playing the air turntable.

That situation can easily be remedied.

Spoiler

Exactly my thoughts! Here's a tutorial.

In this Air Turntable Lesson you will learn how to effectively play the "Air Turntable":

First, place your left hand over your left ear in cup-sized fashion. As if it were holding your earphone.

Secondly, place your right hand leveled in horizontal fashion at the same height as your ribs and stretch out your middle and ring fingers as if they were to touch the disc on the turntable. Remember to maintain your elbow close to your body as a distance reference.

Third, while supposedly touching the disc, raise your wrist in order to prepare for the "Air Scratch". Then move your stretched out fingers back and forth.

For maximum effectiveness feel free to say the words "wicka wicka" in rapid fashion as to simulate the sound of the "scratch".

Try a few times and you'll soon get the hang of it.

Now pat yourself on the back and smile. You just played the "Air Turntable".

To be honest I've always preferred electronic music over rock, so even if I love Rock Band...DJ Hero will definitely appeal more to me.

 

[hopeneverdies]

Wait would it have an actual turntable with spinning discs that respond to touch? Sounds sort of expensive to make. And a higher creation cost means a higher price for consumers. Plus the state of the world economy isn't what I call the best to throw around money.

 

[Samah]

i dont no of any gamers that care about games that like dancey DJy music, all of them i no like rock/metal music, which guitar hero caters for.

You mean like all the DDR [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Dance_Revolution] and IIDX [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IIDX] players in Japan and most of the western first-world countries? I guess if you don't hang around arcades you probably wouldn't have met any though.

Wait would it have an actual turntable with spinning discs that respond to touch? Sounds sort of expensive to make. And a higher creation cost means a higher price for consumers. Plus the state of the world economy isn't what I call the best to throw around money.

This [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BmIIDX_Controller.jpg] is the official Konami controller for the PS2 version(s) of IIDX, which probably (I haven't looked) costs less than your Rock Band drum kit.

It's a pity IIDX never really took off here...

 

[hopeneverdies]

This [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BmIIDX_Controller.jpg] is the official Konami controller for the PS2 version(s) of IIDX, which probably (I haven't looked) costs less than your Rock Band drum kit.

You do realize that wiki goes to the page for the Beatmania controller right? And Activision is making DJ Hero, not Konami. Unless Avision is buying the rights to their peripheral.

 

[Samah]

This [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BmIIDX_Controller.jpg] is the official Konami controller for the PS2 version(s) of IIDX, which probably (I haven't looked) costs less than your Rock Band drum kit.

You do realize that wiki goes to the page for the Beatmania controller right? And Activision is making DJ Hero, not Konami. Unless Avision is buying the rights to their peripheral.

That wasn't my point. My point was that if Konami can make cheap controllers for a DJ game, so can Activision.

 

[hopeneverdies]

That wasn't my point. My point was that if Konami can make cheap controllers for a DJ game, so can Activision.

I read you.

 

[Pendragon9]

Uh oh. DJ Hero will be the Wii of the music game industry.