It's got the "Hero" name and is being backed by the Activision marketing machine, but analyst Doug Creutz of Cowan and Company believes DJ Hero is not setting the world afire as one might expect. The latest addition to the plastic toy instrument genre is said to be suffering from an alleged slowdown in music game sales, something that not even Daft Punk can counteract.
"On DJ Hero, despite some recent positive comments from company management about pre-orders, we remain very cautious about the title's prospects at launch," Creutz tells investors. "A survey of online retailers indicates a demand profile that is well below what we would have expected to see just a few days before launch for a title that was destined to be a big (or even modest) success.
"... We still believe that DJ Hero will be an important part of Activision Blizzard's music franchise strategy, but we think it may take a few versions of the game for it to reach its full market potential (similar to the original Guitar Hero)."
I could easily see DJ Hero being the proverbial straw that broke the music game camel's back. Its rather convoluted premise feels very much like a "jumping the shark" moment, and it wouldn't surprise me to see it turning people off and suggesting that music games have maybe had their moment in the Sun.
Of course, it also wouldn't surprise me to see the game becoming a big success either, with Activision forcing it into our brains via its almighty marketing powers. I guess we'll have to wait and see just how well it does before declaring the music genre dead in the water.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
10:20 AM on 10.26.2009
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DJ music is much more compartmentalized. Some people like techno, some like hip hop/rap stuff, club stuff, etc. There's not a lot of crossover there, which doesn't make for a very compelling package for people who are just music fans. Rock Band/Guitar hero bring in people that don't normally play games, or maybe just Madden. I don't see DJ Hero having that sort of mass appeal.
Rock stars are more identifiable to the mainstream audience that made the Hero games great. Even if Richard D James (Aphex Twin) gets to bang French supermodels, more people can identify Eddie Van Halen at sight.
I don't think they'll have a problem selling this. I don't what expectations are but failure to meet expectations isn't always a failure in sales. So you sold 800,000 units and not a million. Still a helluva profit.
@Steel Brotha
That's true but Rock Band isn't anywhere near what true drumming or guitaring is either. There's a line mate. Nobody said this was a simulator.
I actually agree with you there. I hope RIDE bombs hardcore.
@sexualchocolate
No you just hate Activision. Way to be objective bro!
You're an idiot, of course there is.
I just don't see DJ Hero pulling in as many casual gamers and non-gamers as Guitar Hero has.
I have to say maybe it's because I live in a different area, have a different group of friends, I dunno but I think there is just as big an audience for DJ Hero as Guitar Hero. Frankly I don't get where any of you are getting that from. I'm interested to know. There's gotta be some sociology behind that.
Plus, no Hatsune Miku. Just saying.
"...we are reducing our estimate for DJ Hero Q4 US unit sales from 1.6 million to 600,000, and we are reducing our first year estimate from 2.5 million to 950,000."
Thats the cut in sales projections the analyst made.
"That's true but Rock Band isn't anywhere near what true drumming or guitaring is either. There's a line mate. Nobody said this was a simulator."
That's true but at least with Guitar Hero/ Rock Band it actually is much closer to the instrument than the gameplay DJ Hero.
I don't want this game to succeed to be honest. I want Scratch: The Ultimate DJ to be big, due to the fact that's it's actually more of a DJ game than this Wii Music: DJ Edition. Guess Activision won't be making a DJ Hero: DJ Big Herc Edition or Afrika Bambaattaa Edition.
Those are despite postive responses from retailers. I think those are worst case scenario numbers. And suppose 600,000 units ship and 150,000 of those users each buy one-three pieces of DLC each at $2 there's still a lot of porift to be had from that. At least enough change in there to invest in another lame GH spinoff.
At the end of the day I think these are worst case scenario numbers and even then there's nothing about those numbers to call failure.
On top of all of it I saw the demo being played at Best Buy. Not very inspiring. Maybe I'll need to give it a whirl myself instore but I have no real plans on buying it after that little presentation.
If they had any hopes of letting a title like this to succeed, it needs the ability for the player to import their own music.
I don't care what ends up on a disc, it will end up stale and old by the time an electronic music fan gets their hands on it. Hell, most daft punk fans are ready for the band to move on from Remixing Discovery era tracks.
Take a relatively niche music genre (outside of the college demographic), require expensive hardware, and promote it with a band that a lot of people have never heard of (Daft Punk). Sounds like a multi-million seller to me!
Note: I do know and enjoy Daft Punk, but I'm not blind enough to admit that many people have no idea who the hell they are.
Rap/Hip Hop do well, but there's a lot of Daft Punk style house, techno, etc. in there as well. Those strike me as very different audiences.
Then you've been struck very wrong.
Everyone that dreamed of playing a guitar in a rock band at some point go stand over there.
Eveyrone that ever dreamed of being a rap scratch DJ stand over there...no farther away...keep going...just a bit further. No outside the door. That's it.
Wait, I just answered my own question.
I could very well be wrong. I'm more of a rock guy myself.
Tiesto?
the fuck
Ztrip, Jeff, AM...
Why yes, it's an adventure game using a plastic sword with colored keys on it. Swish swish, baby.
Man its simple, they don't have enough artists. Especially Dre. No Dre, no play.
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