Guitar Hero III Sells $115M in One Week

The success of Activision's latest title set company records for a single product launch and may bode well for the gaming industry this holiday season.

It almost seems as if games have reached blockbuster movie status these days; every new launch rides a bigger budget, snowballs more hype and eventually sells more copies than the last. Such is the case for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the much-awaited holiday release from Activision which sold $115 million in its first week, setting the company’s own record for its  largest single product launch.

Activision foresees continued strong sales through the holiday season due to its cross-platform appeal (playable on both the PlayStation 3 and Wii) and robust marketing that includes more than 30,000 in-store kiosks and inclusion on several lists of hot toys for 2007. The company is so optimistic, CEO Robert Kotick even hinted at a shortage. “Despite having significantly increased our production capabilities for the holiday, there is still a high likelihood that we will not be able to meet demand for this game on every platform,” he said in a statement.

The release comes right on the heels of Halo 3’s launch, which set industry-wide records, and weeks before the release of Rock Band, which is perceived to be a major competitor, and stands a chance of racking up similar sales. In this landslide of major titles, it’s almost fortunate for gamers’ budgets that Grand Theft Auto IV was bumped from its original October release date into next year.