The first half of the year was not kind to the makers of music games, according to Anita Frazier of research firm NPD Group. “Of all genres, the music/dance genre has suffered the greatest declines this year, with nearly $390 million less revenues than the same time period last year.” Shrinking sales mean that the publishers of these two franchises will have to fight hard for market share.
The battle started this week, with MTV Games’ release of The Beatles: Rock Band. It’s competing against Activision Blizzard’s Guitar Hero 5, the latest installment in the franchise that first made plastic axes cool. Both companies share a common goal: To appeal beyond their base and reach a more mainstream “casual” audience. In Guitar Hero 5, along with the usual finger-numbing songs for expert shredders, there is a musical jukebox mode and social challenges that players of any skill level will enjoy. And with The Beatles: Rock Band, is expected to attract fans of the Fab 4 who may never have touched a video game.
Read the full article at Fast Company.