Activision has sent word that the song packs from Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 have hit multi-platinum status, as more than 650,000 downloads have taken place in less than five months through the Xbox Live Marketplace.
As you know, the downloadable packs have three individual songs. This means that the individual songs combined have topped the two million mark, making the Guitar Hero II packs one of the most downloaded content on Xbox Live Marketplace. Also, the My Chemical Romance video game song pack that was released in August clocked over 50,000 downloads in the first week of release.
Dusty Welch, Head, Publishing, RedOctane said, “Activision was the first third-party publisher to offer downloadable content via Xbox LIVE to consumers and as a result, we have great insight into the types of content that consumers want. The Guitar Hero II downloadable video game song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox LIVE and are quickly becoming a very profitable revenue stream and powerful promotional vehicle for musicians and record labels today.”
Tim Riley is the worldwide executive of music for Activision. He said, “Activision has long been a pioneer in recognizing the importance of music in games and has forged unprecedented partnerships with all of the major record labels, music publishers and bands in order to offer Guitar Hero fans unrivaled access to music catalogues.”
Rod Kotler, Director, Music Services, EMI Music Publishing says, “We have been working very closely with Activision to make our catalog available for download for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. The results we have seen from download sales to date have been very impressive. This partnership is providing EMI Music Publishing and its songwriters with a valuable new source of revenue, and at the same time giving us the opportunity to exploit portions of our catalog that might otherwise not get such high-profile exposure.”
Brian Schechter, who happens to be the band’s manager, spoke on the success of the My Chemical Romance video game song pack. He says, “Activision has always had the artists and music culture in mind for their games. Now, the band’s fans will be able to enjoy their music in a new way that they truly enjoy. As long as Activision and Guitar Hero keep providing quality products to the world, I would love to have all Riot Squad artist’s in business with them.”
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is slated to release soon and just yesterday we had reported that GH III would be coming on the PC and the Mac platforms. It will feature legendary bands like the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica. Slash and Tom Morello will also feature in the game.
As for the Guitar Hero franchise, Activision has quoted figures from leading firms such as NPD Group, Chart Track and Gfk that state the series have sold more than 5.5 million units.