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Guitar Hero's World Domination Plans: Europe, Asia, "Multiple Instruments"
Posted by Luke Plunkett at 2:37 PM on March 5, 2008
During his address at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference earlier today, Activision boss Bobby Kotick was talking up Guitar Hero's plans for world domination. While Rock Band continues to struggle to reach American shelves, let alone European ones, Activision have outlined the series' potential to take over not just Europe, but Asia as well.
As far as Europe's concerned, it's a simple approach. The first step is getting enough product on the market, which they're already doing: Kotick says that while North America was the focus in 2007 as far as shipping allocations and marketing went, in 2008 they'd be focusing on Europe. The second step was in securing more local content: Activision's "relationship" with Universal music has given the company access to a huge roster of European acts, not only for the primary markets of Britain, France and Germany, but also bands that will let them target other areas, such as Spain and Italy.
Sounds familiar, I know, and probably not enough to win out over Rock Band's charms. Then again, so long as Rock Band remains a ghost on European release schedules, that's a moot point: Europeans can play Guitar Hero III, right now. They can't play Rock Band, and don't know when (or even if) they'll be able to play Rock Band.
As for Asia (Kotick only specifically addresses China and Korea), well, things are a little more ambitious. Citing experience they've already picked up from Blizzard - one of the few Western devs to crack the Asian market - Kotick says that future success in the region will rest not on boxed products like it does in the West, but in getting the game into internet cafes.
There are, Kotick says, 300,000 of them just in China. They're trusted local institutions. They have credit and billing structures already in place, and are a place where people meet, hook up and hang out. Using the PC version of GHIII as an example, all they'd need to do would be to hook a USB guitar into a PC, flood the game with local content (again, thanks to their new relationship with Universal), setup organised competitions and ladders and watch the cash money come flooding in.
"It's an incredibly natural way to think about guitar hero in a market like China", said Kotick, who also stated that such a move would be entirely on a pre-paid basis, and that they could have "multiple instruments in the same room". Funny. He could have just said "guitars", but no, he said "instruments". Multiple instruments.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
fuchikoma
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@Sinnbox:
Bingo. I'd have to buy a bundle of RB since it doesn't work with either of my guitars, and not only do I not want the other instruments, I don't have room for them.
I'd like to take a guitar and play the stages, but it's just not practical.
I don't think these games would fail in Asia - the track list should be likeable enough and I'm sure they'd at least have localized DLC. But the whole gameplay experience is so old hat there, they've been doing guitar/drum games since the 90s.
fuchikoma
mizzle
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I hope GH adds more instruments. Rock Band is a proven failure when it comes to delivering a working product. They don't even support all formats which means no sale for Wii players. Oh btw, the Wii version of GHIII consistently sells the most. Good thinking Harmonix!
Activision at least puts product in gamers grips. EA and Harmonix fail. Releasing broken instruments on broken systems. lol
mizzle
Americo
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Whoa, AND they'll going to expand into drums? Konami damn well better release a new DrumMania, too.
Americo
Americo
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I hope Konami teaches Activision a thing or two and bitch slaps Guitar Hero for trying to move in on GuitarFreaks turf.
Americo
kingme
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Ahahahahahahaha Hank Scorpio!!!
kingme
lucasreis
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I can agree that Rock Band is a better crafted game. But the set list isn´t better than Guitar Hero, at least, not for me. It lacks some BALLS.
lucasreis
Sinnbox
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@munniec: I saw a trademark for Wanker Hero for the Wii, and it even works with the Wii remote.
Sinnbox
Han Daimond
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Yey! Faulty guitars to everyone!
Han Daimond
Bobman32x
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
well Asia is already in the game with heat of the moment. so bring on Final Countdown!
Bobman32x
darktorns
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
who care, Harmonix is on EA's side, thats more than enough to battle with activiblizz
darktorns
Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Keytar Hero!
Hell, what they have is pretty close.
Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.
Skitzoap
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Dammit Scorpio you're a madman!
Skitzoap
splines
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
One of the greatest Simpson's episodes ever, without a doubt.
On topic, Australia is still patiently awaiting Rock Band.
splines
holysocks
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
All the korean, japanese, chinese music games already have the asian market. I don't think they would care for the songs in Guitar Hero either. It'll fail just like Guitar Freaks failed here. despite that... XJapan for Rock Band!!!
holysocks
ShinjiKinomoto
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
/prays for Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Rhapsody of Fire, Epica, etc., to get added/
ShinjiKinomoto
Albanian_Killa
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
lol look at homer in the back there choosing what snacks to buy. oh how i love the simpsons lol
Albanian_Killa
Pornosaur
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
By sheer TLC with the DLC alone Rock Band is winning hands down. How many people were "really" excited about that No Doubt Guitar Hero song pack this week? Same week that Rock Band comes out of the blue and releases a 6 song pack of the Dead for your hippie parents to jam out too.
Pornosaur
DragonSphere
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
ah, thank god that's photoshopped since I was this close to groaning at yet another forced guitar hero reference
DragonSphere
munniec
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
If they add more instruments they're going have to change the name. Obviously, has anyone seen trademarking for (instrument) hero
munniec
Mongoosekun
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Japanese and Portuguese songs on Rock Band would be nice. It doesn't seem like GH is even considering them either. English only forever?
Mongoosekun
YCS
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
What a great episode of the simpsons that was. Anyone know what season that was? I'm pretty sure it was before the show became a horrible mess, but can't quite remember.
YCS
YCS
City17Mailman
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Hm, they must see Europe as a key location to begin the final countdown against Rock Band. I don't know about Asia, though, seems more like they're pushing there in the heat of the moment.
City17Mailman
Shocky
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Rock band makes me feel like going out and joining a real band instead of playing on plastic guitars and hitting plastic drums.
Guitar Hero, just makes me feel like hitting some buttons - it doesn't make me hate life and plastic.
Shocky
KaneRobot
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Too late. Rock Band's game is deeper, the setlist is better, it's more appealing to non-gamers, and has cheaper/better/more frequent downloadable content.
KaneRobot
jspeed04
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I'm sure its been said already but... Love that picture.
/Simpsons fans unite!
jspeed04
Sinnbox
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
From the looks of things around here CAG's will have a huge amount of Rockband stuff to loot from area K-Marts, They have 10-20 boxes per store, and it seems that none are moving!!
Sinnbox
jayntampa
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@rmeehan17: Same here, my local GameStop's have said that the demand plummeted and they can't move it at all. There is this massive pyramid of boxes in one of the stores just waiting to be worshipped (or to be used as a place of ritual sacrifice).
jayntampa
BryanGuitarDude
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
ive lost respect for activision and kotick is annoying me, he thinks that because Vivendi bought them that they are now in par with blizzard, He's all talk.
As for this news I guess it would be good for them since Europe has yet to see rock band, but can they really pull it off?
I mean harmonix laid out the plans all neversoft had to do was copy and paste will they be up to actually changing the tiring guitar hero formula? Meh
BryanGuitarDude
phrequency
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
how about some love for the heroes you never see on stage?... backstage hero: lights, camera, rock on!
phrequency
Sinnbox
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@Wyld: lol imbued....I wonderif they had Deckard Cain imbue it for them....
Sinnbox
Intellectualdiot
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Yeah, it turns out that I don't actually care about Rock Band versus Guitar Hero. I'm just fiercely attracted to Scorpio. I can't deny that man anything. ANYTHING.
But, if I absolutely must remain on topic, I'll offer this: Good luck with Guitar Hero to all involved. I'll be more than happy to pick up the the next Guitar Hero that has a set-list that I'm not rushing through to get to the good stuff. I hate to seem tritely nostalgic, but I do miss the quality to quantity ratio of Guitar Hero one. I still play that game reasonably often, actually.
Intellectualdiot
Wyld
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@Spartan1308:
I thought there was a patent for "a cellphone with a camera imbued on it" for example.
If I put a potato smasher+ a cellphone+ a camera +a camera+ a pc tablet I can´t make a patent of it? Then 90% of the world´s patents would be gone... woudn´t they?
mmmkay.. whatever... my plan of a swiss Pocket knife with a palmtop is gone then... sigh...
Wyld
Sinnbox
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@rmeehan17: agreed!! Everywhere i go has stacks of them, purple and blue stacks, My walmarrt has two palets of them where the second PS3/360 demo machine was. i'm not getting rockband for a while because all the walmart demo units were falling apart, and not from overuse, just from normal play.
Sinnbox
Sparx
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@dsmx:
actually, its Bont, not Bunt
Sparx
odyeiop
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Scorpio is one of the greatest characters that ever came from the Simpsons.
odyeiop
Demonbird
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@mva5580: I'm gonna have to second that. The best buy near me has easily 50 Rock Band box sets just piled up against a wall.
Demonbird
rmeehan17
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I have seen no such shortage of Rock Band in the states. If anything everywhere I do that sells it they have a huge pile of them.
rmeehan17
Luke Plunkett
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@SSJPabs: Yeah, you see, Rock Band's not out in Europe. And a lot of people are getting worried that it may NEVER come out in Europe. And if it doesn't, Rock Band's strengths are a moot point.
Luke Plunkett
zerorules44
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
scorpio your totaly mad
zerorules44
Sinnbox
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@SSJPabs: probably because Guitar hero costs less, and from what i hear alot of people don't feel like haveing a freeking concert stage in their game/living room.
Sinnbox
mva5580
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
"While Rock Band continues to struggle to reach American shelves...."
Say what? Every store I go to has TONS of Rock Band in stock. the damn boxes are impossible to avoid.
mva5580
BoffrO
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
May I just say (yes, I may), that this was excellent execution of Simpsons integration Mr. Plunkett! No ass kissing here, just admiration.
The "what about Rockband?" comparison holds little water though. Once upon a time my children, there were titles by the names of Frequency and Amplitude.
"Without progression through imitation, we suffer the burdens of monotonous mediocrity" - me
seriously I just came up with that...
BoffrO
Spartan1308
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@Wyld: No. They already have the guitar. Karaoke has been around for much longer and Konami put out DrumMania long before Rock Band so I'm fairly certain Activision can do as they please w/multiple instruments.
Spartan1308
Sinnbox
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Why bash on the multiple instrumentst thing? If there was no mario there woudl have been no Sonic. Everyone knocks off the next best product. Basicly Rockband combined all the other music games out there, To compete you have to make yourself better. What is the big fuss. This cracks me up. for fucking Budda's sake rockband is a fucking spinoff of Guitar Hero!!!
Sinnbox
SSJPabs
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I just don't get how Guitar Hero wins. You can't compete with an entire instrument set.
SSJPabs
Double J
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I am VERY disappointed. I was hoping this was going to be about Guitar Hero: Europe and Guitar Hero: Asia editions of the game. Heat Of The Moment FTW!
Double J
RickyTV
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Damn Activision and all their greediness!! Harmonix better get Rock Band to Europe before Activision get's theirs, or Harmonix might have a problem.
RickyTV
Otaconnachos
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Gackt in Asian GH anyone?
Otaconnachos
Rocci1212
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
This has format war written all over it. Good.
Rocci1212
Spiffmeister
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Australia would REALLY like rockband.
Spiffmeister
Dumari
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Yeah they're not going to be overcoming Konamis Bemani in Asia.
Dumari
crunks
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I wasn't aware Rock Band was struggling to meet US shelves. All the stores I've gone to seem to have a surplus of RB copies, and now stand alone drumsets.
crunks
Lexxon
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I LOVE the picture. Scorpio, best obscure 10-minute quasi-villain ever.
Lexxon
Ryanraven
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I don't know about that Struggle in america for rock band thing. I have a fuckin' fort of those suckers in my store. A full size human assessable fort!!!
Ryanraven
Misquito
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I'll be first in line for Banhu Hero and Didgeridoo Hero.
I do loves me some Didgeridoos.
Misquito
scotty
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Witzbold is gonna be sad for lack of Rock Band. :(
scotty
Neopolitian
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@Erwin: yeah, just think of the one to one ratio for key hit and note played...f'n lol
Neopolitian
Neopolitian
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Man, that's some weak sarcasm...
Neopolitian
Archaotic
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
@Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB:
I wonder if we'll end up seeing a press conference from Harmonix now...
"We're incredibly flattered that our Rock Band franchise has attracted imitators..."
God, I can't stand Activision. Yet another reason for me to continue never buying anything they make.
Archaotic
Erwin
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Please keyboard peripheral, please.
As for European tracks, some more Die Toten Hosen, please.
Extra "please" for good measure.
Erwin
Demonbird
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I always said Guitar Hero would be great if you could use like, drums or something. I wish there were a game that had something like that...
Demonbird
Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Hmmm...Ingenious. Activision is going to add Bass, Drums and a Mic.
Why didn't anybody else ever think of that?
Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB
sanyo
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Keytar Hero here we come!
sanyo
dsmx
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
This is worth commenting on just because they used a pic from one of my favourite simpsons episodes.
"So do you expect me to talk scorpio."
"No Mr Bunt I expect you to die and it be a cheap funeral."
dsmx
Wyld
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
Patent Lawsuit from Rock Band?
Wyld
Coldbrand
Posted 5:34 AM 6/3/08
I coulda' sword I heard of this multiple instrument thing somewhere else.
Coldbrand
austy108642
Posted 10:20 PM 19/3/08
Thats my favorite episode of the Simpsons! with Mr. Scorpio :D!!!!
austy108642
Pornosaur
Posted 10:20 PM 19/3/08
@mizzle: your retarded right? they put out the version of Guitar Hero 3 in super fantastic un-stero mono.
Pornosaur
Video
Posted 10:20 PM 19/3/08
Wait a second.... Homer Simpsons was working for Activision without knowing it was for World Domination!!!! XD I remember that episode from the picture above...is funny XD
Video
Doomstink
Posted 10:20 PM 19/3/08
Ten bucks says that Activision's drum game doesn't work with the rock band drum controller.
Doomstink
Huxleyhobbes
Posted 10:20 PM 19/3/08
Only making content available to certain regions is a surefire way to piss people off. If that's their plan, which I can't ascertain. Just pointing it out if it is.
Huxleyhobbes
thelegendofzaku
Posted 10:20 PM 19/3/08
I wish Activi$ion the best of luck in making a futile attempt to win over Bemani country a.k.a. Japan: them folks love their platic guitars less buttoned and their timing windows tighter like Guitar Freaks, plus they love receiving a letter grade for their awesome scores. Besides, if they really wanna steal Bemaniheads from Konami's iron grasps over there, they're gonna have to play the J-Rock/J-Pop card, since that's usually the bread and butter of every Guitar Freaks mix to date.
thelegendofzaku