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DJ Hero 'highest grossing new IP' of 2009, claims Activision

Publisher counts Guitar Hero franchise extension as original intellectual property, says $120 rhythm game grossed more in US and Europe than any other new brand.

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Last year saw a number of attention-grabbing original intellectual properties, including Dragon Age: Origins, Brutal Legend, Infamous, Prototype, EA Sports Active, and GameSpot's 2009 Game of the Year, Demon's Souls. However, Activision claims that its recently released DJ Hero topped them all.

DJ Hero made enough money for Activision to push ahead with a sequel.
DJ Hero made enough money for Activision to push ahead with a sequel.

The publisher today declared DJ Hero the "highest grossing new IP in the US and Europe for calendar 2009," citing the industry-tracking NPD Group as the source of its information. One factor in the game's favor was a $120 price tag, meaning DJ Hero could match a standard $60 title's gross take by selling half as many copies.

Activision did not provide a dollar amount for the game or sales figures for the game. However, as previously reported, DJ Hero sold 298,000 copies on all platforms combined in its first two months on the US market, according to the NPD Group.

Perhaps paradoxically, Activision touts the game as an original intellectual property but also considers it part of the Guitar Hero franchise. In announcing DJ Hero's "highest grossing" designation, Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick said the game "further establishes Guitar Hero as the premier franchise of its kind."

Regardless of sales figures relative to other games, DJ Hero has performed well enough for Activision to commit to another installment. In the most recent issue of Game Informer, Kotick confirmed that a second version of the game is in the works, saying, "I can't wait for you to see next year's."

A representative with the NPD Group had not responded to a request for confirmation of Activision's figures as of press time. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's review of DJ Hero.

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Avatar image for expeditopaz2008
expeditopaz2008

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DJ Hero is a great game. And now, more than three years after its release, is cheap, even with the turntable:)

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danstar01

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and wasen't scratch the ultimate DJ meant to be first but activision copied that title???

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danstar01

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DJ hero highest grossing IP my ASS!!! can they remember the game that people call Borderlands?????

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Avatar image for salad10203
salad10203

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also, DJ HERO cost more than a normal game to produce

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Avatar image for JTH_22
JTH_22

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Key word: "GROSSED". The $120 price tag pushed up the gross. Sorry but 298,000 copies across all platforms isn't that impressive, a game at $60 would have to sell 600,000 copies to match that gross. Nice try Bobby Kotick and co. but....no. I can't stand Activision anymore.

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Avatar image for deactivated-57e30da122d08
deactivated-57e30da122d08

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Sorry, but no. If it's got "[musical instrument] Hero" in the title, then it's not a new IP. Where I come from, they call those "spinoffs". Thanks for playing, Kotex, but our hostess will be more than happy to give you some nice parting gifts on your way out.

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Avatar image for Glade_Gnarr
Glade_Gnarr

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Which just tells us how ridulously overpriced that game is.

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Avatar image for Trogeton
Trogeton

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Man if it was a little cheaper with the game and table bundle I could get it easier

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Avatar image for t_biggin
t_biggin

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DJ Hero a New IP? hahahahahahahahahahahaha That's like saying Mario and Sonic at the Olympics is new IP. :P

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Avatar image for Sins-of-Mosin
Sins-of-Mosin

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Borderlands sold way more than that in it's first month alone and just on the Xbox 360! Activision, you are the biggest joke of the industry now.

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Avatar image for Skargamer
Skargamer

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they probably got a lot of money because of the price tag!!! :P

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blakeney

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@ benboz LOL good luck creating music on a turntable...

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Avatar image for StoneKoldKilla
StoneKoldKilla

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a lot of haters on this story, huh? this game is actually pretty good. people had the same complaints when "guitar hero" first came out, "why don't you learn to play a real guitar?" IT'S A GAME.. everybody is making a mountain out of a mole hill..

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Avatar image for Urban_Flow
Urban_Flow

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Been reading some comments down there.....Gee,LOTS Of Haters.120$ is Alot....But It's A Great Game.Period.

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Urban_Flow

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Man Im really Addicted to DJ Hero.....Can't wait for the sequel...the mixes are amazing. 9.5/10.....They Did a real good job on DJ Hero.I love hip-hop and scratches...this game gave me what i wanted.

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Avatar image for madSomnambulist
madSomnambulist

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Oh! Batman Asylum! Thanks writer... how did that slip my mind? Perhaps they have some kind of definition where Batman and support cast have at some point in time appeared anywhere in any other game. Who knows. What happened to DJ Hero is exactly what I predicted when announced... Beatmania syndrome. Too expensive, very awkward, quite niche and not automatically the best quality. At least Konami learned their lesson fast and severely limited future rhythm titles in the US, and have 100% since Rock Revolution. Only after 2 years are Karaoke Revolution and DDR coming onto the current-gen systems. Those have both already proven to be simple enough with only minor additional costs to sell steadily for a full decade.

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grasshopper6

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why don't we go play a real guitar or go spin, go clubing, well we all don't have time like that and not all of us live in our momma's basement working 3 days a week for that new game every payday

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Avatar image for MrHatnClogs
MrHatnClogs

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Are people complaining that DJ Hero isn't the real thing yet? Because there were alot of people hating on Guitar Hero on this site saying "Why don't people go out and play a real guitar?".

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Avatar image for writer
writer

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Batman Arkham Asylum anyone? Didn't that thing sell like 3 million copies now? What about Borderlands?

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xxxMoreBeerxxx

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Man this must be a joke! A game based on playing fake instruments, based on fake music. Who buys this junk? Better question, who listens to this junk? There are so many better new IP's that should be deserving of peoples money. Demon Souls anyone?

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Avatar image for Sirbobislost
Sirbobislost

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What a dumb thing to say when it's twice the price of a normal game..... How about giving us the pure profit figures minus the disc printing and packaging costs? Oh and the cost of making those silly plastic DJ decks Should show what was actually more profitable

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Avatar image for Jackc8
Jackc8

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Is this the same Activision who claimed their latest crap hero outsold the Beattles Rock Band, only to have it proven a huge lie as soon as some independent numbers were released?

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bandit7319

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lol it's not too hard to be the highest grossing IP when your selling for 120 a pop. Aye....

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Avatar image for PcGamingRig
PcGamingRig

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of course its going to sell alot people who don't even usually play videogames buy this crap and theres alot more of them than hardcore videogamers who buy great games like demon souls and dragon age...

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Avatar image for madSomnambulist
madSomnambulist

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Let's be exceedingly generous and say 900k from any other title "wins" so we can avoid any semantics about conversion rates on the $120 or $50 vs 60 of most new games per Wii and 360/PS3. I believe inFamous and Dragon Age have already been mentioned as 1M+ titles. Okay, delete story, or at least put a gigantic disclaimer on it that the claim is statistically dubious, lest anyone actually think it's true. The only thing worse than the lie would be Gamespot passing it off as even theoretical fact if it's just plain wrong. Do the ethical thing here and call the bluff as rubbish in writing. We at least pretend this is some variant of journalism when writing seriously about the industry, and it's the duty of the press to, well, people.The NPD data should be proof enough, but since It could be spun by PR a thousand ways just end it by calling it BS and put the burgeon on Activision to prove it with information that could fit onto, at largest, one spreadsheet.

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Avatar image for Hugomanen
Hugomanen

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best laugh all morning! "this game completely derived from a series that have been going for a long time is the best NEW ip in 2009" ok, granted they did invent a new controller for the thing, but it can hardly be considered a new ip

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Avatar image for zaiwen
zaiwen

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Activision claims everything except admitting the fact that they dish out tons of HERO games 1 after another in a year. if they can "claim", so can i .. so NO MORE HEROES for me... oh wait.. that's one HERO title i'd play all day

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Avatar image for BigBacon87
BigBacon87

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I can't wait to see what crap they come up with next myself. Borderlands and InFamous are games to build upon, you can attempt to integrate new innovation to these franchises. I am a big fan of hip hop.. and when I say that I mean real hip-hop not the auto-tune garbage teens and early 20 something losers think is rap. As many good tracks are available(grew up across the big river from the D), this is not helping. Guitar Hero anything.. is not helping. Your all playing frigging Simon Says for shats sakes. GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! How can't you see that! I try to be calm and BOOOOOOOOOM! I get all angry at you moron's that keep feeding into it which, in the end.. leads to no innovation in music in gaming. CREATE! That is the single biggest word in the future of gaming and those who haven't embraced it will be swallowed by it whole. CREATE CREATE CREATE! Give the people the power and they shall prevail. That goes WAY beyond the music genre btw. 5 years from now you'll be able to re-create any modern day game with your own scenarios and someone will say Bacon told you first. In the meantime have fun living in the present.

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Avatar image for LordRaymond
LordRaymond

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You can't trust crap what Robert Kotick says he is a bad man to gamers.

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Shoaka

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I'm pretty sure Dragon Age was the highest selling new IP, besides maybe Borderlands.

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game_overdose54

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Remember people, they said highest "grossing", the amount of money it made It was DEFINATELY not the highest "selling". The only reason it got that much money is because it's $150 and a special edition for $200.

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rockstar_88

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[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

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rockstar_88

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Can I uppercut this guy in the groin? Please?

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rockstar_88

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@ latin_boi "Give Activision some credit for at least trying to do something new." LOL! OMG that was the funniest thing I've ever heard it my life. Activision trying something new? No matter how you slice it, this "new IP" is merely their way of cashing in on another genre because they're simply not satisfied with taking advantage of rock. This will not fix the oversaturation of the music genre, but simply dig it into a deeper hole.

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Avatar image for SocialAnXieTy
SocialAnXieTy

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Haha, yeah right Kotick. You lied to us once, you'd lie to us again. Provide some actual statistics and we might believe the fecal matter coming out of your mouth.

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firehawk998

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[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

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latin_boi

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Enough bashing. The game is fun for someone like me who doesn't have hundreds or thousands of dollars to go blow on DJ equipment. Despite all the nay-sayers out there, this was a completely new idea for a music genre oversaturated with the same crap. Give Activision some credit for at least trying to do something new. And those of you hating on the game itself probably haven't played it. It's actually really fun.

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Avatar image for firehawk998
firehawk998

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Unless there are some sound accounting proof to this there is no way anyone will believe that this DJ HERO is the highest grossing New IP of the past year. Dont take any word of this Kotick guy. Remember he said something similar about Guitar Hero outselling Beatles : Rock Band on a 5:1 ratio and once the NPD numbers came it was different story.

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benboz

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Wow, who cares! I think DJ Hero is lame. I would rather go buy my own turn table where I can create my own music.

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Avatar image for Timbydude
Timbydude

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It did sell about 800,000 copies by January 1, so it honestly wouldn't surprise me since the game cost $120.

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Avatar image for TruthOpinionSpk
TruthOpinionSpk

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Hahahaha, what a sad stat, if it is even true.

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Sepewrath

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I have my doubts, considering how well Infamous and UFC did in comparison to DJ Hero. I would assume the license fees alone would require this game to sell at least a million to be profitable, let alone the highest grossing new ip. What I find really interesting about the quality of thier games, like everyone else does. They will not come out and say "oh CoD is going to be the best FPS ever" No they only talk about how much a game will sell or has sold. And somehow avoiding the entire subject of quality works for them, I really don't get it.

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Avatar image for deactivated-64efdf49333c4
deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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QUOTE: How can you be so impressed with the same thing over and over? They're not. They're just impressed with the money they're paid to review the games well.

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admiral_picard

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Oh Activision, you try too hard to make gamers hate you. Mediocre games, money milkers - oh yeah and that guy who's your CEO who you haven't put a muzzle on and thrown back in the firey pits of Hell which he came from keeps running his mouth too. You know, telling us how Activision is so great and how we all love them and how you're making sequels to games that shouldn't have even been created...and here I thought no one would take over EA's position as the generic game factory run by a douche...

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NoLifeGamin

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why can't Activision just leech off of the CoD franchise and just let it be?

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payne6705

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I don't know why but I just can't believe them

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Fallen119

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You guys have to remember that they had a 200$ renagade edition as well so they might be right

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Heshertonfist

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Stop buying rhythm games and Activision will continue making them. The way they have abused the GH franchise is really going to ruin their name in a few years. Remember when EA was pumping out nothing but movie licensed games a few years ago? Same deal here with Activision and look at the state EA is in now. Activision will have no credibility with gamers. And thumbs down to Gamespot for always giving high grades to the GH series. How can you be so impressed with the same thing over and over?

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R7_3

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I won't believe anything that douche says, until I see some numbers to back it up. Talk is cheap. He reminds me of a football team that does nothing but talk about how they're gonna win their next big game, and then they get destroyed by the other team :P

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Dualmask

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Choice of words can make any statement sound true. See, he could be measuring by sheer profit which, if DJ Hero was cheap to make and costs a lot at retail (which it does), could be true. But it still sounds like BS to me.

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