Activision, Inc. has announced that the Guitar Hero franchise has set an industry record, surpassing $1 billion in North American retail sales in just 26 months.

 

Also, for calendar year 2007, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was the #1 title in units and dollars, which made it the #1 best-selling video game of all time in a single calendar year.

 

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. The company was founded in 1979 and has posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007. The company maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

 

Michael Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Activision Publishing, Inc., said in a press release, “Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today. Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium.”

 

The Guitar Hero franchise has sold in excess of 14 million units in North America alone since the album was initially released in 2005. Consumers have already downloaded more than five million songs within 10 weeks since the game's launch.

 

The original "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" games shipped with more than 50 licensed songs each, a mix of master recordings and covers. Since then, "Rock Band" has made new music available every week as either singles or in three-pack bundles that can be added as new playable levels for between 99 cents and $5.50. "Guitar Hero III" did the same, focusing on three song bundles of new music and music featured in previous versions of the game.