Red Octane: Music Games Not A Fad

[Keane Ng]

Red Octane: Music Games Not A Fad

Guitar Hero publisher Red Octane believes there's quite a bit of life left in the music game genre, and DJ Hero may just prove that.

Music games have been so successful in the last five years or so that it's not hard to imagine that they'll eventually start losing steam. Nothing lasts forever - look at fighting games in the 16-bit era or the Wii...oh wait, forget that last part. After all, now that we've got full-on band and even DJ games, where is there to go next? Dijireedoo Hero?

Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane [http://redoctanegames.com] thinks otherwise. Co-founder Kai Huang remarked at the MI6 marketing conference that the genre is "not a fad" and that it's got plenty more potential to expand (and, no doubt, plenty of money to make). What RedOctane and its peers have produced to date, Huang says, is just "the beginning of a huge category."

The key to expanding that category in the near future, Huang believes, is RedOctane's next new venture: DJ Hero [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90102-DJ-Hero-Going-For-Younger-Audience]. According to Huang, over half of the people interested in DJ Hero have never even bought a music game, presumably because they were never interested in the music involved. Now, DJ Hero has the potential to widen the music game audience and, at the same time, expose people to whatever style of music DJ Hero will focus on, which he didn't go into details about.

I don't doubt that the music game genre has some longevity, but I'm not sure DJ Hero is going to be as huge a success as Huang thinks it will be. If the rumors [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90388] about which artists will star in the game are true, there's no doubt that serious music fans may stand up and take notice of the game, but at the same time, the name "DJ Shadow" doesn't really ring out in the mainstream like Ozzy Osbourne or Metallica. Then again nobody thought a game packaged with a plastic toy guitar would become a pop culture phenomenon, so we'll just have to wait and see.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/music-games-not-a-fad-redoctane]]


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[Dyskresiac]

This article (As well as the quotes) assumes that the music game industry hasn't been around for at least 10 years. Red Octane are the new kids on the block, yes. However, that doesn't mean that DDR/ITG, Beatmania, and other various "Bemani" games weren't successful. They were. There's a reason Konami released a new one every few weeks.

I think it's kind of arrogant that now that it's finally popular in the West, all of a sudden it's the "true birth" of the genre.

 

[kaziard]

am i the only one whos really excited at the prospect of dijireedoo hero?

 

[Keane Ng]

This article (As well as the quotes) assumes that the music game industry hasn't been around for at least 10 years. Red Octane are the new kids on the block, yes. However, that doesn't mean that DDR/ITG, Beatmania, and other various "Bemani" games weren't successful. They were. There's a reason Konami released a new one every few weeks.

I think it's kind of arrogant that now that it's finally popular in the West, all of a sudden it's the "true birth" of the genre.

I agree, those games were successful, but Guitar Hero/Rock Band huge mainstream crossover successful? That's what people mean when they say "music games" as they are now, as an entirely new phenomenon, but yes, you're right.

 

[LoopyDood]

This article (As well as the quotes) assumes that the music game industry hasn't been around for at least 10 years. Red Octane are the new kids on the block, yes. However, that doesn't mean that DDR/ITG, Beatmania, and other various "Bemani" games weren't successful. They were. There's a reason Konami released a new one every few weeks.

I think it's kind of arrogant that now that it's finally popular in the West, all of a sudden it's the "true birth" of the genre.

I agree, those games were successful, but Guitar Hero/Rock Band huge mainstream crossover successful? That's what people mean when they say "music games" as they are now, as an entirely new phenomenon, but yes, you're right.

You've obviously never been to an arcade outside of the US.

EDIT: Unless you mean that music games have crossed over into the casual, "My mother plays it" side of gaming. Games like DDR have a really hardcore following compared to games like Guitar Hero.

 

[ckeymel]

am i the only one whos really excited at the prospect of dijireedoo hero?

Personally I am looking forward to Theremin Hero..

 

[Anachronism]

Personally I am looking forward to Theremin Hero..

Nah. Accordion Hero will be this year's big hit.
http://www.phobe.com/sfi/accordion.html

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

He's absolutely right, there is a game that totally expanded the genre. It's called Rez and I wish they'd stop trying to copy Guitar Hero and make a sequel.

 

[bkd69]

He's absolutely right, there is a game that totally expanded the genre. It's called Rez and I wish they'd stop trying to copy Guitar Hero and make a sequel.

They're not copying Guitar Hero, they're copying Parappa/DDR/Frequency. As for your sequel to Rez, here you go:
http://www.aksysgames.com/bittripbeat/

Though I wonder if genre is generally too small a term to cover music games. Perhaps family would be more appropriate, recognizing rhythm games and karaoke games as two different genres of music games.

Though I agree with many here in wanting to see music games with a heftier narrative than 'band makes it big,' and hopefully seeing some of the music mechanics we've already seen used for gameplay beyond simulating instruments. Patapon was a great start.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

He's absolutely right, there is a game that totally expanded the genre. It's called Rez and I wish they'd stop trying to copy Guitar Hero and make a sequel.

They're not copying Guitar Hero, they're copying Parappa/DDR/Frequency. As for your sequel to Rez, here you go:
http://www.aksysgames.com/bittripbeat/

Though I wonder if genre is generally too small a term to cover music games. Perhaps family would be more appropriate, recognizing rhythm games and karaoke games as two different genres of music games.

Though I agree with many here in wanting to see music games with a heftier narrative than 'band makes it big,' and hopefully seeing some of the music mechanics we've already seen used for gameplay beyond simulating instruments. Patapon was a great start.

Already ripped through Bit. Trip Beat. It's no Rez.

 

[Dyskresiac]

This article (As well as the quotes) assumes that the music game industry hasn't been around for at least 10 years. Red Octane are the new kids on the block, yes. However, that doesn't mean that DDR/ITG, Beatmania, and other various "Bemani" games weren't successful. They were. There's a reason Konami released a new one every few weeks.

I think it's kind of arrogant that now that it's finally popular in the West, all of a sudden it's the "true birth" of the genre.

I agree, those games were successful, but Guitar Hero/Rock Band huge mainstream crossover successful? That's what people mean when they say "music games" as they are now, as an entirely new phenomenon, but yes, you're right.

You've obviously never been to an arcade outside of the US.

EDIT: Unless you mean that music games have crossed over into the casual, "My mother plays it" side of gaming. Games like DDR have a really hardcore following compared to games like Guitar Hero.

Loopy has it exactly.

My point is that Bemani games have been huge. Larger than Rock Band is now. However, less so in America. I used to go to the UK for tournys because it was big there a few years ago. In the US... I would win every competition with ease since there were very few hardcore US players. In Japan it was everywhere you looked. There's a reason why there's about 30 DDR mixes out there.

The point I was trying to make is that Americans typically don't see something as "successful" or even "mainstream" until it is mainstream in the United States. Thus, why I had expressed the comment about arrogance. Or ignorant. You can take your pick. These are the same people who think "DJ Hero" is a new concept.

Hint: It already exists.
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/2424/414164-450px_iidx15_large.jpg

That being said, just because something isn't successful in the US, won't mean it will die. Even if Americans decide that Rock Band is boring... the genre will live on in other countries who, mind you, have more pull in the industry than the US.

 

[ckeymel]

Personally I am looking forward to Theremin Hero..

Nah. Accordion Hero will be this year's big hit.
http://www.phobe.com/sfi/accordion.html

Oh man, I so want that! I have always wanted to play the accordion!

 

[Altorin]

If they were allergic to money, they could have released rockband, and then just released hundreds of thousands of music packs, of all different genres into the marketplace. Music Video games don't need anything special done for them. You don't need any more crazy peripherals. guitar, microphone, drums, and... heh... turntable.. You can now have Guitar Hero Linkin Park

 

[nova18]

Can't wait for Cowbell Hero.

I think it all depends on who the developers of the future aim at, casual gamers or "hardcore" gamers. If developers are still obsessed with getting on the casual bandwagon, music games will still be marketed as the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[Gamer137]

They will be if they keep released milking products. Madden released one game ayear and that is milking. Here is Activision released 2-3 Guitar Hero and look-a-like games every year. Keep milking and this will become a fad.