14 DAY TRIAL // Activision has moved to trademark the name DJ Hero planning to use it both for a game and for a piece of hardware. The trademark protection, filled on February 8, makes sure that no other entity snaps up the name and uses it, and it also might reveal Activision's plans for its Guitar Hero line of products.
Activision Blizzard wants to dominate the rhythm based game world with its Guitar Hero series. Did I say "Guitar Hero" series? I meant "insert-music-device Hero" series. After announcing it will release an Aerosmith themed product this summer and with another Guitar Hero, the fourth in the franchise, apparently due to come out later this year, Activision has just filled for trademark protection for the name DJ Hero.
The trademark refers not only to a software product, likely to be the name of the game itself, but also to game devices. So, Activision plans to sell people more than plastic guitars. It is also expanding into the niche of plastic turntables played by over-enthusiastic gamers. With revenues from the Guitar Hero series going to over 1 billion dollars, Activision is looking for the next cash cow.
And it makes perfect business sense to do that. The Guitar Hero series is now established and facing some real competition from the likes of Rock Band. The natural move is to try and expand the target audience of the product by targeting a new music niche. The prospect of "playing" plastic turntables does not attract at first sight, but a few years ago no one thought playing a plastic guitar could be so much fun.
It is still early days and the DJ Hero product is likely at least one year away. But that cannot stop gamers and analysts alike from wondering: what songs will we play? Will the gameplay remain similar to Guitar Hero or will it become something else entirely? We'll be reporting the news as the news breaks.