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Sing trailer shows how to rock out with your WiiPad out
Freestyle Games' Wii U title, Sing, is a karaoke game incorporating the WiiPad, meaning you can "face your friends, not the TV" while you belt out some ballads and pop tunes. As the above video shows, the WiiPad scrolls through the lyrics while the TV displays some dance moves and a few singing lines, so your captivated audience can participate.Nintendo announced Sing at its E3 presser this morning.%Gallery-157142%
Former DJ Hero devs aim to rock the mobile space with 8linQ
Is "8linQ" a new form of L337ese spelling out "blink?" Inquiring minds want to know! Joking aside, 8linQ is actually a new mobile studio, a joint venture between three groups: Music in Colour, Reactify and Metropolis Group. The former, Music in Colour, is a music production company comprised of ex-Freestyle Games developers, who you may know from those DJ Hero games. 8linQ will aim on bringing music and rhythm games to the mobile space starting on July 20 with Say What?! for iOS, The Guardian reports. No, we will not repeat ourselves, we're not falling for it, guys! Say What?! is a tap-based rhythm game with licensed tracks from Sony, where players have to look for and identify icons associated with lyrics in the particular song they're playing. For example, when they see the word "I" in a lyric and an icon of an actual eye comes flying by, they'll tap that for points. As the player progresses in difficulty, the clues and correct icons become much more vague. Say What?! will be a free download when it launches next week, bundled with four licensed tracks -- eventually, other tracks will be added as micro-transaction downloads. [Image credit: The Guardian]
DJ Hero dev FreeStyleGames survives to make another game
DJ Hero developer FreeStyleGames has officially survived "the great Activision music genre culling of 2011." The fate of the developer was still undecided earlier this year, but Creative Director Jamie Jackson announced today that the studio "will continue [its] strong partnership with Activision." There was some collateral damage, as a studio rep confirmed 35 positions would be lost. The developer is currently working on a "new, innovative" unannounced project. The studio plans to share details about the upcoming title in the coming months.
DJ Hero dev FreeStyleGames in limbo, 'actively working with Activision on various options'
Despite reports of "severe layoffs" at DJ Hero development house FreeStyleGames yesterday, a statement issued by creative director Jamie Jackson, design director David Osbourn, and commercial director Chris Lee says that "no decisions have been taken at this stage" regarding the future of the studio. Furthermore, the trio noted, "We're actively working with Activision on various options going forward" -- it all sounds very reminiscent of Bizarre Creations' recent closing, frankly. It certainly doesn't help that plans for future downloadable content in the DJ Hero and Guitar Hero franchises have been dissolved, not to mention Activision's statement during yesterday's financial call: "We simply cannot make these games profitably based on current economics and demand." Neither Activision nor FreeStyleGames have commented regarding yesterday's alleged layoffs.
Guitar Hero and DJ Hero DLC supply over after February
There's been some considerable debate on these here internets about the status of the Guitar Hero franchise. Thanks to "continued declines in the music genre," Activision yesterday announced that it plans to not only "discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011" (read: cancel it) but also to "disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit." But what about the DJ Hero franchise, and the promising DJ Hero 3D, you ask? "We will release no new music or skateboarding games," CFO Thomas Tippl said of this calendar year. It certainly appears the franchise is dead, but some insist it's simply taking a year off. They'll keep making DLC, right? Right? "We will release the previously announced DLC track and mix packs for February, but - unfortunately," a FAQ answer on the official DJ Hero website states, "we will not be able to release new DLC packs beyond what we already have." The question specifically asked, "Are you still going to make new DLC for Guitar/DJ Hero?" Of course, existing DLC will remain available (for now) and existing games will remain available at retail (for now). Perhaps most telling is that one FAQ question and answer was duplicated twice, at the beginning and end, bookending the official response with a rather ominous message. "Does this mean you're no longer making Guitar (and/or DJ) Hero games?," it asks ... twice. "Over the past two years, we have seen rapid declines in the music genre, and unfortunately, based on current demand, we simply cannot continue to profitably make these games given the considerable licensing and manufacturing costs." As a means of punctuation, that sounds awfully definitive.
Activision axing Guitar Hero and True Crime; Freestyle Games reportedly hit with layoffs [update]
Despite a recent cover story in EGM, United Front's True Crime: Hong Kong won't make it to retail. Activision's latest earnings report confirms the game's cancellation, as well as the end of the Guitar Hero franchise. "Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011," Activision said in its financial statement. The statement goes on to confirm the cancellation of True Crime. "The company also will stop development on True Crime: Hong Kong. These decisions are based on the desire to focus on the greatest opportunities that the company currently has to create the world's best interactive entertainment experiences." Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg went into a bit more detail on today's investor call: "Despite a remarkable 92 rating on DJ Hero 2, a widely well-regarded Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, as well as a 90-plus rated release from our most direct competitor [Rock Band 3], demand for peripheral-based music games declined at a dramatic pace. Given the considerable licensing and manufacturing costs associated with this genre, we simply cannot make these games profitably based on current economics and demand. Instead, what we'll do is focus our time and energies on marketing and supporting our strong catalog of titles and downloadable content, especially to new consumers as the installed base for hardware continues to grow."Hirshberg continued, saying that True Crime's development, "was't going to lead to a title at or near the top of the competitive open-world genre." To put things more directly, Hirshberg added, "To be blunt, it just wasn't going to be good enough." If that weren't enough bad news, Eurogamer also reports that DJ Hero developer Freestyle Games has suffered "severe layoffs," though it's unclear whether the rhythm series has been affected by the alleged redundancies. We'll update this post as we learn more. [Update: An earlier version of this post was based solely on Eurogamer's report, which has since been partially confirmed by Activision.] [Update 2: United Front Games has commented on the cancellation of True Crime]
DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock free DLC available now until Nov. 30
Looking to expand your DJ Hero 2 and/or Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock catalogues at a significant discount? Activision's offering of free DLC for each game seeks to solve your problem, adding a DJ Tiesto-mixed three-track pack to DJ Hero 2 and a My Chemical Romance pack to Warriors of Rock, each of which is free in the US "via redemption code while supplies last." The catch: each pack is free for this week only before becoming paid content on November 30 (also, the content for Warriors of Rock is only available to Xbox 360 owners). Details for both packs can be found after the break, including pricing for when they're no longer free next week. But hey, you're on top of things, so you're totally gonna get them while they're free. Head over to Activision and Coca-Cola's code generating website "while supplies last."
Tony Hawk: Shred wobbles first week at retail
In a video game's lifetime, the first-week sales are often the most crucial, representing some of biggest numbers a publisher will ever see for a game. That's why Robomodo's second peripheral-based Tony Hawk title, Shred, seems to have gotten off to a grim start, selling just 3,000 copies in its first week at retail. Speaking with GI.Biz, Investment firm Cowen and Company detailed October's North American retail showings (following yesterday's NPD report) and pointed out that another Activision October release, DJ Hero 2, moved 59,000 copies in its first two weeks of availability. For comparison's sake, those aren't huge sales for DJ Hero 2, but it nearly 20 times more than Shred. These numbers are perhaps least surprising to Shred's developer, Robomodo; the developer cut staff last month and is said to be off the Tony Hawk franchise.
PSA: DJ Hero 2 update for DJ Hero 1 DLC compatibility now available
The promised free "Compatibility Pack" for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of DJ Hero 2 have arrived on their respective digital stores, giving owners the ability to import DJ Hero 1's DLC into the sequel. The game's official Twitter representation announced as much today, clarifying that "some DJ Hero 2 functionality is not supported in this update," specifically listing "freestyle cross-fading, freestyle scratching, and vocals" as the main culprits. Finally, you can once again lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go ... sorry! Got a little carried away for a moment there.
DJ Hero 2 made in seven months following enormous vacation
Jamie Jackson, creative director at DJ Hero 2 developer Freestyle Games, told PlayStation UK in an interview recently that the latest title was made in just seven months. The game reportedly kicked off development immediately after a "mass exodus" at the studio, clarified to Joystiq as a "big holiday" for the team. According to Jackson, "15-hour days for quite a long time" resulted in the vast majority of the studio vacationing in places like Ibiza to get the creative juices flowing once more. When everyone was back, the team had to hop right back in the saddle for the sequel. "We had to get straight back on it ... so DJ Hero 2 has been made in around seven months," Jackson explained. And though the team only had a handful of months to get the sequel together, it wasn't interested in putting out "the same game again with different music" -- Jackson got specific, shouting out the new Battle Mixes and Freestyling features as improvements made despite a dramatically shortened development cycle. And now, with the game nearly complete, we have to imagine that various Mediterranean islands are bracing for impact.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock gets a bump from Megadeth's Dave Mustaine
Worried that Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock had forgotten about one of rock and roll's primary warriors, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine? Fear not! Megadeth -- and a new song made just for Warriors of Rock, titled "Sudden Death" -- will be present when the game ships on September 28.
Preview: DJ Hero 2
In a small hotel room in midtown Manhattan this month, I spent just over an hour with Activision's noticeably slimmed down holiday rhythm/music game lineup. Though we'll have to hold our impressions of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock until later this month, I can tell you all about my time spent with DJ Hero 2. First and foremost -- and this might sound nuts to open with -- the design and layout of the user interface is beautifully vacant. The DJ selection screen isn't much more than a bright white background with selectable characters. That same design aesthetic carries over into the gameplay interface -- unlike the muddied rock and roll world of Guitar Hero, everything in DJ Hero 2 is sharp, crisp, and clean. The lighting may be low, but blues and reds and yellows can be seen popping all over the place.%Gallery-97911%
DJ Qbert joins DJ Hero 2 lineup
Though Qbert 2 featured zero DJ heroes, DJ Hero 2 will feature at least one Qbert: DJ Qbert, that is. Activision announced this morning that the California-based DJ will become a playable character in the upcoming scratch-em-up and add two "exclusive mixes" to the varied soundtrack (see the tracklist here). You know, we might employ DJ Qbert's in-game avatar at one point or another ... if we get tired of sporting that giant mouse head. (Spoiler: We won't ever get tired of the giant mouse head.)
Activision's Amrich: DJ Hero sales now up to 1.2 million units
Activision's DJ Hero may not have had the strong start the company would have hoped for, but it's apparently gained significant momentum since its October launch. In an editorial piece defending the performance of Bizarre's recent racer, Blur, Activision social media guy Dan Amrich talked up DJ Hero's longterm success -- which has now yielded sales of 1.2 million units. As you might recall, it was also the best-selling IP of 2009 by revenue. Amrich posited that DJ Hero needed "time for its audience to find it, a price break, and positive word from both friends and reviews to circulate" before it could really pick up steam. With DJ Hero 2 just around the corner, we're anxious to see how Activision will apply what it's learned from the first game.
Kotick: Activision 'sticking with' DJ Hero franchise
We know that Activision is planning a second DJ Hero game -- thanks to David Guetta and word that Activision is looking for some new talent. Now we've heard confirmation of the game from the same source that semi-officially revealed the first game: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Kotick justified the development of a sequel to the less-than-hit music game in an interview with Game Informer. "I think DJ Hero is a really innovative product," he said. "I can't wait for you to see next year's. 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." That's right -- somehow, Kotick managed to use an annual DJ Hero sequel as proof of a "less games, better games" strategy. We suppose it is noteworthy that Activision's only doing one DJ Hero this year, given that 2009 saw six Guitar Hero games.
Standalone DJ Hero controllers now available for $70
If you've been sitting around on your fat stacks of cash, waiting to pick up an extra DJ Hero controller then now is the time, friend. Activision sent along a press release stating that the turntable controllers are now in stock at the Guitar Hero Store for $70 a pop, $40 cheaper than the regular, game-packing bundle. With a weak showing on October's NPD charts and UK retailers slashing prices, we can't say we fully understand Activision's decision to charge so much for the turntables. From our vantage point, it looks like this: if Activision came down on the price a bit, more people would buy a second controller and have their friends try the game. Then, maybe those people would go out and buy their own set-up. Isn't that a novel idea?
Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden
When celebrities get on board for a game, the inevitable pitfall is the dreaded interview where said celebrity awkwardly tries relating to the "gamer" crowd (trust us, we know all about it.) With DJ Hero dropping this week, celebrity sponsor Jay-Z sat down with MTV News to talk about how much of a gamer he is (hint: not so much) and his support for the cultural awareness opportunities inherent in the recently released turntable title."Immediately, of course, with the success of Guitar Hero, you know, [DJ Hero] piqued my interest, and then on top of that it was something from the hip-hop culture. So, anytime you can, you know, I can expand the genre and introduce it to new audiences and widen it -- you know, the reach of what hip-hop can do -- you know, I'm interested in that," Jay-Z explains in the video interview (embedded after the break).As far as Jay-Z's gaming roots, that's another story altogether. "I was really a gamer," Jay-Z urges. "Like, ask any of the guys. Like, I used to -- Madden and all these type of games," Jay-Z awkwardly cobbles together, "I was, like, really a problem. Like, those were my things -- for awhile." Presumably, until, you know, he got all that other stuff that impresses us, right? It's okay, Mr. Z -- you don't have to impress us with your gaming prowess, too. It's not like we have the numbers of "the guys" to fact check your claims anyway.
Retail roulette: Who has the best DJ Hero pre-order bonus?
Round and round the DJ Hero pre-order bonuses go. Who has the best one? Nobody kn -- oh wait, we do! Planning on putting down the cash for the Activision turntable simulator at the end of October? Let's see which major retailer has the best deal: Amazon – $10 video game credit. (Sounds solid.) Best Buy – Receive a free code that unlocks a Daft Punk level. (A "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" level?) GameStop – Two free playable song downloads. Guitar Hero Store – Free two-day shipping (Sooo, pre-order to get the game two days later?) Hollywood/GameCrazy – Receive an exclusive turntable slipmat. (A turntable doily.) Walmart.com – $10 electronic gift card. (Bingo!) Those who are preparing to scratch, what say ye to these offers? %Gallery-64592%
DJ Hero's full track list revealed
Activision Blizzard has dropped the list of all DJ Hero's block-rockin' beats that players will be mixin' for mad points. The full catalog on the disc consists of 93 tracks covering several genres of music -- the kids (both young and old) aren't likely to be disappointed.DJ Hero releases on October 27 and October 30 in North America and Europe, respectively. Expect DLC tracks soon after (and maybe a sequel soon after that). Check out the full scratchable set list after the break and let us know what you think. %Gallery-64592%
Feign surprise: DJ Hero 2 allegedly in the works
With Activision already asking consumers to plunk down over $100 for the DJ Hero peripheral later this month, it's only fair that more games use it -- but only if those titles belong to the publisher. With that, GI.biz reports that "at least one independent UK games developer" is working with Activision's Freestyle Games on DJ Hero 2. Go on ... pretend you're in any way surprised.Considering what Activision has done with the Guitar Hero franchise, it wouldn't exactly be a shock if DJ Hero 2, DJ Hero 3 and DJ Hero: Scratch the '80s all hit within a year of each other.
