The gaming franchise that turns you into a faux star recently hit a milestone by becoming the first video game to surpass $1 billion in sales.
Activision CEO Mike Griffith announced the record for his company’s “Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock” while delivering his keynote address at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, reports GameDaily.com. The Guitar Hero franchise reached the $1 billion mark about a year ago, but this is the first time one of the games has done so.
Gaming franchises like “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” have given new life to old songs by delivering them with the games as well as publishing add-on packs, giving gamers even more songs to push buttons for. “GH III: Legends Of Rock” includes songs by Guns N' Roses, ZZ Top and Scorpions plus many other big-name bands and artists. Furthermore, some bands have their own customized editions of the franchise.
For example, “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” is already in stores, and according to Griffith has already sold more than three times what the band’s last album sold. Griffith also cited Nielsen SoundScan data, saying that bands and artists whose songs are used by the “Guitar Hero” games have seen their download sales rise anywhere from 15 to 843 percent.
Meanwhile, Activision is prepping for a spring launch of “Guitar Hero: Metallica.” Still no word if pushing color-coded buttons is enough to win at the game or if gamers must also file copyright infringement lawsuits against the original Napster as well.