DJ Hero Tops Revenue Among New IP In 2009

Faced with 2009's slightly-down financial results, many analysts pointed to the gap left by the declining music genre -- but Activision is trumpeting its DJ Hero as the year's highest-grossing new intellectual property in the game industry. The title, developed by Freestyle Games, never entered the NPD's top 10 and its sales were described as "only modest," so the game's industry-leading revenue is likely due to its high price point -- paradoxically the reason many consumers may have resisted the game. DJ Hero launched at $119.99 in the United States for its basic edition, with a special "Renegade" edition available at $199.99. The basic bundle has been heavily discounted since then, presently appearing at online retailer Amazon, for example, for $89.99. Take-Two claimed Gearbox Software's Borderlands was the top-selling new IP of 2009 by unit sales, with 2 million copies sold. Based on the difference in price between the two games, DJ Hero could have sold as few as 600,000 copies and still earned more revenue than Borderlands. But based on its multiple price points and discounting, Activision's title is likely to have sold considerably more. DJ Hero is known to have sold about 350,000 units in North America alone during October and November. "DJ Hero has transformed music gaming by marrying an innovative turntable controller and exhilarating gameplay with the biggest artists and incredible music from around the world," says Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Pointing to the game's critical reception and its prominence in year-end best-of lists from publications like Time and USAToday.com, Kotick adds: "Consumers and critics agree that DJ Hero is one of the best music games ever created and further establishes Guitar Hero as the premier franchise of its kind."