14 DAY TRIAL // Guitar Hero 5 from Activision is now out and battling for the title of most successful music title of 2009 with The Beatles Rock Band from Harmonix and MTV Games. Initial reports are saying that Guitar Hero 5, no doubt buoyed by the advertising push from the publisher, is doing very well. But, as always after a big release, those watching the videogame industry are asking what's next for the music title.
Bobby Kotick, the Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard, might offer some interesting answers. He spoke at the Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference in San Francisco for about 45 minutes and one of the main topics was how videogames like Guitar Hero could break free from the constraint of being linked to home gaming consoles.
Kotick clearly stated that “I think what the untethered Guitar Hero does is equal the playing field a little more and give you some leverage with first parties when it comes to downloadable content and the business model.” A separation of videogames from gaming consoles might embrace a lot of other titles but this is not something that will happen within a short time frame, as the media capabilities of devices like HDTVs increase.
In other words, the simple threat of delivering Guitar Hero through an Activision branded and closed proprietary system is an efficient way for the publisher to make sure that console makers collaborate closely to deliver downloadable content and extra features.
Kotick also talked about aspects more simple to implement, like integrating Facebook profiles into Guitar Hero videogames in order for songs to be shared, high scores to be registered and profiles to be updated. But this all pales in comparison with the vision of being able to play Guitar Hero without the trouble of setting up a console and connecting the instruments.