Activision sticking with DJ Hero series

By Ellie Gibson Published 18 January, 2010

New instalment out this year, says Kotick.

Activision boss Robert Kotick has said the company laughs in the face of poor DJ Hero sales and is planning to release a sequel this year.

"If you're going to make a commitment to doing something original the odds are that you're not going to get it right on the first chance," he told Game Informer (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz).

"I think DJ Hero is a really innovative product. I can't wait for you to see next year's," he added. (Kotick was speaking in an interview conducted last month, so it looks like the game is coming in 2010.)

"That's the thing; we're sticking with it. We'll stick with it and get it right. But it's going to be less games, better games. That's our strategy."

It's not the first we've heard of a new DJ Hero - Activision launched a search for new music to feature in the game last week. There's still no official title or release date, though.

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About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (27) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • smernicki #1 2 years ago

    fewer games Bobby......

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #2 2 years ago

    The problem is although it's a very good series i fear that it's going to end up like GH, not a lot of DLC but a LOT of disks with only a few tracks you actally like and practicaly mandertory plasic 'updates' to make sure you can still play, please please please take a page out of Harmonix's book and AT LEAST make the games' tracks tranferable to the next.

  • spekkeh #3 2 years ago

    But it's going to be less games, better games. That's our strategy

    Yeah right. More liek less franchises, better franchises (to exploit).

  • Fatum #4 2 years ago

    Lord, let DJ Hero be the sword that ones and for all decapitates Bobby.

  • kangarootoo #5 2 years ago

    DJ Hero is indeed very good as a game, but it just didn't seem to capture people. I think part of the issue was the standalone nature of it. If you spent some dosh on a guitar controller there are a bunch of games out now that can benefit from it. Whereas the DJ Hero controller only works in one game, and its likely not the same game all your friends music game liking are playing at the moment.

  • kangarootoo #6 2 years ago

    @Kremlik

    Quite right. The GH DLC model needs sorting out. Rock band have a huge catalogue now, and their pricing is better than GH.

  • TeaFiend #7 2 years ago

    I bet late Q3 early Q4, just in time for Christmas. Woo.

  • cianchristopher #8 2 years ago

    Why run it into the ground with continuous disc-based semi-sequels and spin-offs?

    Why not use the base title as the foundation upon which to grow it with DLC and new, exciting updates?

    Jesus, Kotick, you're burning all your bridges here! Didn't they teach you anything at CEO-school?

  • Toothball #9 2 years ago

    Despite my better judgement I broke and bought DJ Hero recently. It's fairly enjoyable, but it reminds me of the niggles that were present in the first Guitar Hero that have all but gone from the band themed games these days. Would have been nice if they'd learned from them at the start, but I guess we'll see where they go with it from here. I expect I'll be picking up DJ Hero 2 just to get some more use from my turntable.

  • kangarootoo #10 2 years ago

    @beemoh

    Absolutely, and the uptake of GH back then was relatively low. GH2 was the one that really flew off the shelves I believe.

    They probably had higher expectations for DJH that they would have had for GH1, as DJH is (or would be hoped to be) piggy-backing a very strong established franchise.

  • kangarootoo #11 2 years ago

    "Why run it into the ground with continuous disc-based semi-sequels and spin-offs"

    To be fair, we don't really know that anything of the sort is going to happen. It is no massive surprise to learn that there will be a sequel. We can't safely assume though that the sequel is the first in a "new disc every 6 months" drive with little DLC support. A new disc a year plus decent DLC would be equally as expected given how little we currently know.

  • schnide #12 2 years ago

    CAN YOU FLY, BOBBY?

  • pikemon #13 2 years ago

    I think DJ Hero nailed the game mechanics pretty good the first time around.

    The big question is what they're going to do with the music, and if there will ever be community created content (would suit dj hero a lot better than rock band).

    Personally I'd like to see more diverse music offering for the game: throw some dubstep, crunk, dancehall, drum & bass, techno in the mix. Themed DLC packs with 4 songs selected/created with a luminary in each genre: Rusko, Lil Jon, Vybz Kartel, DJ Hype, Jeff Mills.

  • linksdad #14 2 years ago

    The reason it wasnt as successful, and will never even remotely come close to GH or RB is because with those you get the whole of a song that you know and enjoy.

    The remixes, while technically adept, and pretty enjoyable (I also broke and bought it recently) are never going to be known prior to buying the game. The scratching on harder levels is more "realistic" but on up to medium you just hold a button down and wiggle the turntable a bit - timing or any connection to the scratches you hear just is not there. When you miss a note you dont really notice, not like the guitar hero bum note.

    In my book the controller should have had two 'decks', it currently feels like the equivalent of a guitar controller with only the buttons on the neck. The scratches should have been live or real e.g. controlled by the gamer with the controller - with points or bonuses for matching the scratch pattern.

    The other thing they have got wrong is that they are about a year too late to the party. I cant see myself buying another guitar game in the near to mid future (i've already got 4 for flips sake) and I'm even less likely to splash out on more of the far less involving DJ series.

    As an overpriced experiment - its probably worth picking up 2nd hand or from a bargain bin if you like rhythm games.

  • Dezm0nd #15 2 years ago

    To be fair, DJ Hero deserves a sequel more than the shit piece that is Tony Hawk Ride, which is also rumoured to get a sequel.

    A new SKU for DJ Hero would be lovely, just make a multiplayer option which is fun, please!

  • RobotRocker #16 2 years ago

    Lord, let DJ Hero be the sword that ones and for all decapitates Bobby.

    It might be the one that does the quickening. Other than MW2, the majority of Activisions output in 2009 tanked at retail. Guitar Hero 5 did way below expectations (And was rumored to have cost as much to produce as The Beatles: Rock Band), Prototype suffered against InFamous and the less said about Tony Hawk Ride, the better. Its a shame since DJ Hero is a very good game but the price and the fact that there is more plastic coming into the house would put a lot of people off.

    MW2 might have been the biggest launch in history but it offset a lot of shovelware and botched launches. Since there wont be an Infinity Ward game this year, Activision will be really cutting it close.

  • kangarootoo #17 2 years ago

    "And was rumored to have cost as much to produce as The Beatles: Rock Band"

    Rumoured by who? I would be amazed if GH5 cost as much as RB:Beatles. Happy to be wrong, but a source for that rumour would be good.

    That said, I wouldn't be surprised if GH5 sold poorly. I was beyond bland imo. The worst set list of the whole series perhaps and loads of gameplay modes that I'm really not sure anyone really wanted. Above anything in this sort of game, people want music by bands they like. This is really where Acti need to pull their finger out, at the risk of repeating myself.

  • Zomoniac #18 2 years ago

    to be fair, the same was true of the first Guitar Hero, what with it being the first one, and all.

    Except that Guitar Hero with the guitar when it first came out was about half the RRP of DJ Hero...

  • kangarootoo #19 2 years ago

    Really? Christ. I bought mine when GH2 came out, and I can't recall how much I paid. I traded in GR:AW and maybe paid £30, so it was around the £50 mark?

    Hmmm, I'd forgotten about that. DJH is damn pricey.

  • Verminox #20 2 years ago

    MOAR MONEYYY!!!

  • DAN.E.B #21 2 years ago

    I really like it but it doesnt have the replay value gh has maybe its because you cant fail a track so theres no real sense of acheivement for finishing a song on hard or expert?

  • Machetazo #22 2 years ago

    @kangaraootoo: There is that little point of "perceived value", when you're asking upwards of hundred for a game, I agree.
    Most of the comments from detractors that bought and played the game, seemed to be that Acti weren't pitching any kind of DJ game, in the artists/music/mixes chosen - that it was too commercial.
    If you're going to cater to a niche, you probably really do have to cater.

  • Toothball #23 2 years ago

    @link'sdad

    I see what you mean on getting tracks you know you like in other games. I've been turning that on it's head though and actually have been looking forward to playing tracks that I don't know as much as the ones I do. I've found a lot of music in Rock Band and Guitar Hero that I didn't know I liked from both old and new bands. I've ended up buying quite a few albums on the basis of tracks I've played in games, so these days I'm not all that concerned with seeing a track list where I know every song. Still a bit different with the mixes in DJ Hero, but I'm still enjoying some of them more than I expected.

  • Murton #24 2 years ago

    This needed a sequel in order to take off in my opinion. With Guitar Hero you at least know there are another half dozen guitar games which you can also use that controller for, with DJ Hero however you're paying £100 for a peripheral and a single game that can use it, that's a hard sell for many people. A peripheral with two games however, that's a little more viable and inspires the belief that DJ Hero will be supported with future releases making the franchise a little more inviting to new takers.

    As I said in the other thread on DJ Hero though, the proof is going to be in the tracklists. Guitar Hero has suffered from that stale college rock feel that made World Tour and Guitar Hero 5 look rather quite poor when stacked up against Guitar Hero 3 and even Guitar Hero 2. Guitar Hero Metallica on the other hand is exactly what the series needed, some balls. In my mind Guitar Hero is all about impressive riffs and killer solo's or at least it should be, and the Kings of Leon don't really meet the requirements to make Guitar Hero fun to play.

    Hopefully if Kotick's new mantra of "fewer but better games" holds true we'll see a little thought go into the Guitar Hero track lists and end up with a reasonable number of good tracks and not just everything from the top 40 that actually features a real guitar.

  • AphoticCosmos #25 2 years ago

    Hi Mr Kodick.

    Please top yourself.

    Yours,

    The gaming community

    xx

  • Widge #26 2 years ago

    Too soon. I balk at buying a Fifa installment for full price every year, let along forking out 80 notes on a game with a one year lifespan.

  • JohnnyFireBlade #27 2 years ago

    I just hope they up the quality of the peripherals. I bought DJ Hero for my wife for Christmas. The cheap and nasty turntable was broken straight out of the box. Luckily, I bought it from Game so she returned it for a working one. Still feels very cheap though.