The music game genre is becoming closer and closer to taking it’s seat next to the dinosaur. Extinction! Plastic instruments are currently collecting mass amounts of dust, and the slumping sales are causing publishers to wonder if the gravy train is near the end of the line. Activision, or the new E.A, decided to bet the house on music game sales of 2009 and evetually conceded defeat. Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Band Hero, DJ Hero. Really Activision? Their music games made a decent amount of sales, but nothing close to expectations. Bundle sales we’re down %50 from the previous year, and purchasers of Guitar Hero 5 received a free copy of Guitar Hero: Metallica. This trend is reminiscent of fighting games in the 90′s. Hopefully, these games don’t nearly become extinct like fighting games.
Rockband 3 is slated to release fall 2010. News of the next wave of Guitar Hero’s haven’t surfaced yet, but I’m sure we will hear about 3-4 music sku’s from the Activision camp soon. The lack of announcement is obviously due to Activision weary of giving too much time for people to find reasons why they don’t need another plastic guitar and a live version of “Sweet Home Alabama.”
There are many reasons why these games are on the decline, but it’s not the game itself. It’s the same music being repackaged and recycled. Does “Celebration” and “Y.M.C.A.” have to be on every game? Why do these games only center around Rock Music? I love rock music too. I’m listening to “Bohemian Rhapsody” as I write this post. Before someone scream out “DJ Hero,” I will explain. DJ Hero is a fun and engaging game, but it doesn’t convey the concert feeling like the plastic guitar. Some credit goes to LIPS. There is a Lupe Fiasco rap song on lips, which is one of the reasons that inspired me to write this article. Why can’t the focus of these games go from rock to rap. A Jay-Z version of LIPS would be a Day 1 purchase. Before someone comments that content of the music would be a deal-breaker, go play Sublime’s Santeria on Guitar Hero: World tour. Rock Music is great, and the genre has produced some of the greatest songs. Rap has been one of the more popular genres in recent history, and the excitement of rapping a song has yet to be discovered in these games. There are so many classics; Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story,” Jay-Z’s, “Big Pimpin,” Dr. Dre’s “Forgot about Dre” “Gin and Juice,” Tupac’s “Only God can Judge me,” Snoop Dogg, Nelly, old school Hip Hop, Sir Mix-a-Lot “baby got back.” The list goes on and on. Harmonix and Activision haven’t announced what’s in store for the upcoming music games, but hopefully, they will focus more on Rap music.
There aren’t any plastic instruments to sell with a rap game. Plus, it would probably have to be an M rated game unless you want crap like Soulja Boy.
GH: Van Halen was given away with GH5, not Metallica. Also, “Baby got back” is dlc for Lips. Though there is content out there that is rap or r&b related (mainly dlc), I do wish there was more. I’d be curious to know the sales of the dlc for this and I agree with QT, it’d have to be mature…to get the good stuff. That may be a huge factor in development of rap focused games to be so minimal.
I don’t want it to seem like i’m whinning for rap. I think it could produce big sales. They might have to give away a code to download the mature content. Include clean songs with the disc, and make the M rated stuff, DLC. they’re going to have to re-invent the wheel for this year’s crop of instrument based games. Innovation is a must, and I think going the rap route would be refreshing.
Never said you were whining. Was agreeing with you.
I agree about the Mature content limiting the sales demographic. I may get RB3 since it will be easier to pick up and play (like GH5) and theoretically have all my RB1 and RB2 songs and DLC.
I would also like more music games that had rap (then maybe my skillz would get better.) Also I think it’s funny that they gave away GH Van Halen then also try to sell it as a $60 game. I fell it was cheapened by giving it away first.