18 MCV 24/09/10
MCV INTERVIEW PETER ROYEA, ACTIVISION
We also recognise that value is becoming very important in the market. For that reason we will be including a free copy of DJ Hero 1 software in every turntable bundle and party bundle of DJ Hero 2. This is a real statement of intent from DJ Hero that we really do want to bring the party home in 2010.
Retail space is a premium these days, and Guitar Hero boxes eat up a lot of space. Does this factor in the decision making process when producing a new Guitar Hero? Players and retailers are more selective than ever and are choosing to concentrate their spending on fewer, higher-quality experiences and we continue to see the largest and most successful properties gain a
disproportionate share of the market. To both excite fans and buyers we have improved our packaging by putting a window in the guitar bundle package to showcase the great guitar design. This has been positively received by retail and thus is allowing us to secure primary placement in store.
DJ Hero has helped you reach new music fans, so can we expect further new Hero brands to pop up in the future?
As leaders in the category we know we have a role to play in creating the future. But equally important to us is ensuring we
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Activision says it won’t combine Guitar Hero and DJ Hero into one product because of each game’s contrasting music accessories
deliver great experiences. When we were creating Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2, we really tried to get to the core of what consumers want from this genre and the best way to do this is to ask our fans. The answer was unanimous – for Guitar Hero, our fans want great rock music and for DJ Hero, it’s about bringing great tracks from many different genres such as dance, electronic and hip hop and mixing them in ways that people will never have heard before. I’m sure the Hero franchise will continue to evolve and continue to innovate, but we’re also
conscious of having a large number of consumers still to share the DJ Hero experience with – and that is a key priority for 2010.
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Why not combine DJ Hero and Guitar Hero into one product? The simple answer is because there is too much great music and too many different music fans to be able to do such a thing. Part of the magic of music is its diversity and how different kinds of music can touch different people in different ways. That’s not to say people can’t like more than one genre – in fact we know that Guitar
Hero fans are also loving the DJ Hero experience – but what that franchise did was open the magic of music gaming to an entirely new consumer base. Also from a pure hardware perspective the guitar and drums are very different instruments to the unique DJ Hero turntable. Having the different instruments gives us room to innovate, as has been the case with the new Warriors of Rock guitar accessory.
We have put a window in the guitar bundle packaging. This has helped us secure primary placement in store.
Peter Royea, Activision
You were at music festivals again this year. What response have you had from this kind of activity? Trial has always been a key element of the Hero marketing mix and with Guitar Hero, we were the first people to bring music gaming to the UK festival scene through live main stage performances. When you think about being able to step on the Hero rig and perform a track that you’ve just seen performed on the main stage, it’s bound to leave a lasting impression. You also know you’re doing something right when you see the queues of people like there were at Leeds Festival waiting to get their hands on Warriors of Rock.
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In what ways have your marketing strategies for Guitar Hero changed down the years? Guitar Hero’s success has been based on our games allowing people to experience music in new ways and letting their friends know what amazing games they are. So our marketing strategies are really focused on inviting consumers to experience these games first-hand. Of course, social media is also forming an increasingly key element of our mix and gives our brand teams an invaluable two-way communication medium, opening up dialogues on a
scale that would never have been imaginable just two or three years ago. The Guitar Hero Facebook page now has over 1.4 million fans and we’re very lucky that we have a property people feel passionate about.
The music games genre has been revitalised through Just Dance and other titles. Could dancing be fed into future Hero products? Any title that enters a category and drives interest is great news. I’m sure the Hero franchise will continue to evaluate potential brand extensions as we did with DJ Hero. Right now, we are focused on our two upcoming releases.
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