Activision loves quoting figures from the independent NPD Group. Yesterday, Activision touted that they were the top selling handheld and console publisher in the US using the data. Now they have sent word that the Guitar Hero franchise has set an industry record as it has passed the $1 billion mark in just 26 months in North American retail sales.
Michael Griffith is the president and chief executive officer at Activision Publishing. He commented, “Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today. Guitar Hero’s popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium.”
The first Guitar Hero game was released on the fall of 2005. The figures from the NPD group indicate that from that time, games from the Guitar Hero franchise have sold more than 14 million units in North America alone. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is also a great success and Activision has stated that gamers have already downloaded more than five million songs in some ten weeks since its release.