Guitar Hero - Europe

A Hero Will Rise

Guitar Hero hasn't even been released in Europe yet but publisher RedOctane is already warning of stock shortages.

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A sequel is already in the works, with talk of genre-themed expansion packs and even a possible plug in and play version doing the rounds. It's a similar tale to the success of Sony's SIngStar, EyeToy and Buzz brands, where mainstream appeal and simple control methods expand the idea of a what a 'video game' can be.

Kelly Sumner joined RedOctane as CEO back in February of this year, three months after Guitar Hero's release in the US. He has previously held the CEO role of Take Two Interactive Europe, and at the time of his new appointment stated, "RedOctane's plans have excited me like no other company around. In fact, I've not felt this kind of buzz and excitement since Grand Theft Auto III."

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So you must have high expectations for the European release?

We have, but we're limited in terms of sales expectations. We actually haven't got huge amounts of product. It's an authorised game with an authorised peripheral and we have to manufacture it within the constraints of Sony's approved manufacturing guides. We can't just go to twenty different companies in China and ask them to produce as many as we'd like. So everything that has gone into Europe has already been sold as far as retail is concerned. Retailers have ordered more than we have available. So I would think that for the first two months minimum, it's going to be in very, very short supply.

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Do you think there are these gaps within the market, where the big publishers haven't got the entire market sewn up? Are there the opportunities for smaller publishers to take advantage of what the big publishers are missing out on?

Absolutely. We've proved that you don't have to be EA to have a very successful product. Basically, we are the Electronic Arts of the music market - there is nobody else. There are opportunities out there, and there are quite a few. But the trouble is that it does require risk. We basically bet the whole company on Guitar Hero and luckily it's been successful, otherwise we wouldn't be here right now. The problem is that it's easier for some companies to say, 'Let's make this a little faster, or a little bit more violent and we'll put it out'. If you want the rewards you're going to have to take the risks. Sometimes it won't work, but thankfully sometimes it does.