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Is it Over for Rock Music Games?

Being a rock star is not all parties, groupies, and throwing furniture out of 5-star hotel rooms. Alright, well maybe it is, but like every seemingly awesome job, rock stardom also has its inevitable downside. As one much wiser than us once put it, every rose has its thorn. Anyone who has ever watched a rock-and-roll biography on film knows that these stories almost always end with tragic consequences. Rock stars must contend with fickle fans, backstabbing bandmates, opportunistic promoters and psychotic girlfriends. And even if they don’t go out in a blaze of drug-addled glory, there is always the dreaded chance that they will end up like Bono – old, bloated and boring.

Things aren’t looking so hot for virtual rock franchises Guitar Hero and Rock Band at the moment. Recent evidence shows that consumers are beginning to sour on the rock music rhythm genre altogether, with holiday sales so far much lower than in years past. It seems that we may have already passed the peak in popularity of these games, and the recent 300 million dollar payout to Rock Band creators Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy may be evidence that the best days are already behind us. Recent NPD figures for October showed that neither major rock franchise managed to secure a spot in the top ten software sales chart. Sales of Guitar Hero: World Tour are lagging far behind sales of its predecessor, Guitar Hero III.

Gamasutra charts the declining popularity of Guitar Hero.

What reasons are behind the dwindling sales of these two mega franchises? It is hard to settle on just one cause, because there are likely many different factors limiting sales. The first is undoubtedly the weak economy, which sees gamers tightening purse strings and thinking twice about that expensive music instrument peripheral. Another reason is probably competition from other AAA titles as well as different music offerings this year (although we aren't sure Wii Music is stealing many air guitar aficionados). Thirdly, casual consumers may not see the utility of upgrading to a new version of their favorite music game, even though these titles come with amazing track lists. Finally, maybe gamers are getting bored of the formula altogether, and it is time for music game creators to come up with something new to hook potential players. Maybe it’s time for Activision to unleash their next massively popular music game, Hip Hop Group.

[Source: Gamasutra]