Sales figures for music games have hit more than a few bum notes lately, but there may be life in the Guitar Hero/Rock Band genre yet.
MTV Games announced on Tuesday there would be a Rock Band 3 later this year, implying a new distribution deal had been struck with Electronic Arts. Meanwhile, over at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, a new competitor emerged touting a video game with real instruments.
Boston-based Seven45 Studios showed me an early version of their Power Gig: Rise of the SixString game due to be released in the autumn.
At first look, it seems very derivative of Guitar Hero with the same cartoon guitar figures and coloured notes to hit in time with the beats.
But, moving beyond the basic level where this is merely a rhythm game, gamers can play actual power chords on a controller that doubles as a real guitar.
The controller can be plugged into an amplifier and switched to six-string electric guitar by putting a dampener muting the strings into a down position.
The accessory is heavier and feels more solid than a Guitar Hero controller and actually looks and sounds like a real guitar.
That shouldn’t be surprising given Seven45′s pedigree. It was born out of First Act, which sells affordable guitars through retailers such as Walmart, Target and Best Buy.
Guitar Hero has inspired many players to take up real guitars, so Seven45 may be onto something in bridging the gap with its new device and game.
It says it is negotiating with the major record labels for original content and the package will be priced competitively with regards to the bundles of its bigger rivals.
The question remains whether there is enough consumer interest left in the genre for Seven45 to be successful.
“Guitar Hero and Rock Band built a $4bn category in no time and we believe there’s still a very large consumer segment out there,” Jeff Walker, head of marketing, told me.
“We’ve listened loud and clear to the music gamer that’s screaming for this type of product. There’s been a vocal segment that has said: ‘I’m playing these games for hours on end and I have no transferable skills for actually playing music.’”
