August 3, 2007
Battle of the video game bands
The major news that Grand Theft Auto IV will not provide the blockbuster success the console makers crave this autumn obscured another set of impressive earnings from Activision on Thursday.
The Santa Monica video games publisher had better financial news than all the other major US players - Electronic Arts, THQ, Take-Two and Midway - who also made announcements over the past two days.
Activision could be the major beneficiary of Take-Two delaying GTA IV. Without the competition , its Call of Duty 4 is now likely to be the best selling game on the PlayStation 3 this year.
Activision is currently the number-one publisher in the US of third-party titles - those not made by the console makers.
Bobby Kotick, chief executive, told us in an interview its success was down to good management, a little luck and a great franchise strategy.
One major franchise under threat from a bigger rival, Electronic Arts, is Guitar Hero, a game that puts an axe-shaped controller in the hands of air guitarists.
EA is releasing Rock Band for the holiday season. which expands the range of instruments so that several players at once can perform a song.
Mr Kotick believes Guitar Hero can fight off the challenge, describing Guitar Hero as a game and Rock Band as more of a collaborative tool.
"We are on every format in every geography with localised content," he says, adding that the price of jamming with friends in Rock Band could run to $300 for all the "instruments".
