The latest rocking addition to the Guitar Hero franchise is shaking more than living rooms; it’s moving mad units.
With the success of Guitar Hero World Tour, the full band kit could be becoming a somewhat scarce commodity. In a recent conference call with gaming press, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said he was surprised by consumer response to the full band kit. Anyone seeking to get their hands on the bundle with the five-pad drum kit may have an increasingly difficult time as the holidays approach.
The full band kit is nearly sold out across retail channels, and more players are still seeking to pick up the bundle, according to Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith. “(It’s) not likely that we’ll be able to keep up with demand,” he said, regarding availability of the kit over the holiday season.
Griffith notes Guitar Hero World Tour has been outselling Rock Band 2 by a wide margin. The Guitar Hero franchise has moved 24 million units, compared to Rock Band‘s 5 million, he said. However, this seems a little misleading, considering the Guitar Hero titles havd been around for several years prior to the release of Rock Band.
Consumers currently have several options for picking up GHWT. They can purchase the game alone, as part of a bundle with the guitar or the hefty full band kit which includes the game, a guitar, the drumset, and a microphone. Though the latter may be a tough find in the coming months, the good news is there’s plenty more rock-n-roll on the way next year. Activision is planning to expand the franchise with multiple Guitar Hero games to launch in 2009.
