DJ Hero to put industry in a spin

Activision believes that DJ Hero can help grow the music game genre – by attracting consumers that have never before played Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

The firm’s global publishing boss Mike Griffith admitted in August that the music category was ‘significantly down’ year-on-year – but pointed to Europe as an area in which it could still expand.

The firm believes DJ Hero can appeal to a different
kind of consumer to its Guitar Hero franchise – as well as its core userbase.

With the kind of diversity DJ Hero offers, we expect it to appeal to people who may not have yet discovered the Hero franchise,” senior brand manager at Activision Ian McClellan explained to MCV.

The key is that the music – which comprises of over 90 mashups that are unique to DJ Hero – is still very accessible.”

Activision has created a new turntable peripheral for the game, which has already enjoyed heavy television promotion. Unique mixes included on the disc come from acts such as the Black Eyed Peas, 50 Cent, Justice and Beastie Boys.

This game will grow the category, so retail should expect this title to bring even more music-lovers into their stores – some of which may not have bought a music game before,” adds McClellan.

Again, the investment behind this title will be at the level that they have come to expect from the Hero franchise. We believe trial is going to be very important. We are planning some heavyweight ways to introduce people to DJ Hero.”

The title is released on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PS2 on October 30th.