Activision’s Bill Kassoy on competing with Rock Band, online games, Wii development

Guitar Hero III - Image 1While the success of the Guitar Hero franchise has never been in doubt, the popular rhythm game is currently up for some heavy competition with the coming of Electronic ArtsRock Band for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

In a recent interview with Next Generation, Activision Senior Vice President of Marketing Bill Kassoy had a few simple words to back up Guitar Hero III (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).

“Don’t underestimate Red Octane’s hardware,” said Kassoy, referring to the fact that Harmonix, who developed the first two Guitar Hero titles for Activision and is now working on Rock Band for EA, only has experience in software. Kassoy also pointed out the price differential between the two titles. Rock Band is expected to cost gamers more since it has more additional controllers than Guitar Hero III.

During the interview, Kassoy also mentioned that Activision will be ramping up infrastructure for all its online-capable titles using the recently-acquired DemonWare. Casual games for Nintendo’s Wii video game console also seems to be an avenue that Activision is gearing towards.

“You’re going to see a big shift in our development for Wii, said Kassoy, “and I’m not just talking about ported games.”

Via Next Generation

Guitar Hero III - Image 1While the success of the Guitar Hero franchise has never been in doubt, the popular rhythm game is currently up for some heavy competition with the coming of Electronic ArtsRock Band for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

In a recent interview with Next Generation, Activision Senior Vice President of Marketing Bill Kassoy had a few simple words to back up Guitar Hero III (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).

“Don’t underestimate Red Octane’s hardware,” said Kassoy, referring to the fact that Harmonix, who developed the first two Guitar Hero titles for Activision and is now working on Rock Band for EA, only has experience in software. Kassoy also pointed out the price differential between the two titles. Rock Band is expected to cost gamers more since it has more additional controllers than Guitar Hero III.

During the interview, Kassoy also mentioned that Activision will be ramping up infrastructure for all its online-capable titles using the recently-acquired DemonWare. Casual games for Nintendo’s Wii video game console also seems to be an avenue that Activision is gearing towards.

“You’re going to see a big shift in our development for Wii, said Kassoy, “and I’m not just talking about ported games.”

Via Next Generation

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