14 DAY TRIAL // It seems Activision is sure that DJ Hero will be a big hit when it is released in late October and apparently the publisher is already quietly approaching some performers to be featured in the sequel, DJ Hero 2. Initial reports are mentioning the names of DMC Champion and Qbert while there are also speculations that a British development team is working with FreeStyleGames on the initial stages of a sequel.
The important news is that Activision is interested in establishing the cultural relevancy of the series by adding an artist like Qbert to the line up of the second game. He is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the turntable culture, having won a huge number of awards both individually and as part of the Invisible Skratch Piklz. Signing him would probably mean a special edition of DJ Hero 2, as Qbert designs a range of turntable peripherals and he could create one specifically for the videogame.
Activision's vision is to get DJ Hero into more homes that now have Guitar Hero. The concept behind this is the wider appeal of the spin off, which includes DJ culture but also features well known acts like Daft Punk, Eminem and DJ Jazzy Jeff that are mainstream and well known by the public.
Mike Griffiths, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Activision, stated that “Outside of those 15 million household's, there's another 300 million that haven't for one reason or another bought Guitar Hero yet. One of those reasons is we're not reaching new genres and new music audiences in a way that DJ Hero allows us to accomplish.”
Of course, this well laid plan might change if the first DJ Hero fails to make an impact at retail, a strong possibility in the crowded marketplace of the fall and in these tough economic times.