Post: Activision Wary of Call of Duty Going the Way of Guitar Hero
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04-22-2011, 01:54 AM
#1
Ameht!
Dark Knight
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Activision is flying high with all things Call of Duty, but fellow Activision property Guitar Hero also once had a seemingly limitless future before it flamed out. How is Activision responding to this potential trap? An internal Activision memo from back in February obtained by Giant Bomb from CEO Eric Hirshberg shows that he and the company is aware of what can happen to even the biggest of franchises like Call of Duty. "Isn't Call of Duty today just like Guitar Hero was a few years back?" asks the memo to itself. "This is a great question," answers Hirshberg, "and one we have thought about a lot. But there are several key differences between the two franchises worth considering. Guitar Hero quickly reached incredible heights, but then began a steady decline. Call of Duty, on the other hand, has steadily grown every single year of its seven-year existence." To Hirshberg, the key in sustaining the Call of Duty is simple: Quality. "...We need to focus: on making games that constantly raise the quality bar; on staying ahead of the innovation curve; on surrounding the brand with a suite of services and an online community that makes our fans never want to leave. Entertainment franchises with staying power are rare. But Call of Duty shows all of the signs of being able to be one of them. It’s up to us." Beyond that, Hirshberg says that there other factors that currently help the Call of Duty brand. He believes the fact that the series is an FPS and the online community are factors that help make the franchise "perhaps the 'stickiest' of all time." While time will indeed tell whether Call of Duty really is here to stay, fans should be heartened by the fact that Hirshberg's memo appears to show a company that knows that making good games is the win-win scenario for everyone that will ensure any series' continued success. Then again, consistent quality is no easy task, and that's made even harder the more games you put out for a franchise.
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Activision is flying high with all things Call of Duty, but fellow Activision property Guitar Hero also once had a seemingly limitless future before it flamed out. How is Activision responding to this potential trap? An internal Activision memo from back in February obtained by Giant Bomb from CEO Eric Hirshberg shows that he and the company is aware of what can happen to even the biggest of franchises like Call of Duty. "Isn't Call of Duty today just like Guitar Hero was a few years back?" asks the memo to itself. "This is a great question," answers Hirshberg, "and one we have thought about a lot. But there are several key differences between the two franchises worth considering. Guitar Hero quickly reached incredible heights, but then began a steady decline. Call of Duty, on the other hand, has steadily grown every single year of its seven-year existence." To Hirshberg, the key in sustaining the Call of Duty is simple: Quality. "...We need to focus: on making games that constantly raise the quality bar; on staying ahead of the innovation curve; on surrounding the brand with a suite of services and an online community that makes our fans never want to leave. Entertainment franchises with staying power are rare. But Call of Duty shows all of the signs of being able to be one of them. It’s up to us." Beyond that, Hirshberg says that there other factors that currently help the Call of Duty brand. He believes the fact that the series is an FPS and the online community are factors that help make the franchise "perhaps the 'stickiest' of all time." While time will indeed tell whether Call of Duty really is here to stay, fans should be heartened by the fact that Hirshberg's memo appears to show a company that knows that making good games is the win-win scenario for everyone that will ensure any series' continued success. Then again, consistent quality is no easy task, and that's made even harder the more games you put out for a franchise.
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The following user thanked Dopey for this useful post:
04-26-2011, 03:11 AM
#8
longjohnsilver
NGU Pirate
Has that employee played cod lately? Seems a lot like Guitar Hero. Cod really hasn't introduced many new concepts since Cod4 other than maybe custom killstreaks, if you count that :p
Guns are given a different shape and name. New Maps. Couple of new perks, old perks have their name changed. Get some useless new equipment if we are lucky. Some new animations.
Guitar Hero failed because in the end all that was being done was some new songs. People didn't like paying full price for something that could have been easily released as dlc content or at the very least a reduced price "expansion pack" type game.
So basically, lots of people don't like paying $60 for the same general thing they already have. I don't feel like the Cod franchise has been making true sequels in a while, at least by my definition
At this point, if I want a Cod experience I will boot up Cod4 and have one.
That rant is extremely long, I'm going to go preorder the new Cod now =D
Guns are given a different shape and name. New Maps. Couple of new perks, old perks have their name changed. Get some useless new equipment if we are lucky. Some new animations.
Guitar Hero failed because in the end all that was being done was some new songs. People didn't like paying full price for something that could have been easily released as dlc content or at the very least a reduced price "expansion pack" type game.
So basically, lots of people don't like paying $60 for the same general thing they already have. I don't feel like the Cod franchise has been making true sequels in a while, at least by my definition
At this point, if I want a Cod experience I will boot up Cod4 and have one.That rant is extremely long, I'm going to go preorder the new Cod now =D
04-26-2011, 04:18 AM
#9
Ameht!
Dark Knight
Originally posted by longjohnsilver
Has that employee played cod lately? Seems a lot like Guitar Hero. Cod really hasn't introduced many new concepts since Cod4 other than maybe custom killstreaks, if you count that :p
Guns are given a different shape and name. New Maps. Couple of new perks, old perks have their name changed. Get some useless new equipment if we are lucky. Some new animations.
Guitar Hero failed because in the end all that was being done was some new songs. People didn't like paying full price for something that could have been easily released as dlc content or at the very least a reduced price "expansion pack" type game.
So basically, lots of people don't like paying $60 for the same general thing they already have. I don't feel like the Cod franchise has been making true sequels in a while, at least by my definition At this point, if I want a Cod experience I will boot up Cod4 and have one.
That rant is extremely long, I'm going to go preorder the new Cod now =D
Guns are given a different shape and name. New Maps. Couple of new perks, old perks have their name changed. Get some useless new equipment if we are lucky. Some new animations.
Guitar Hero failed because in the end all that was being done was some new songs. People didn't like paying full price for something that could have been easily released as dlc content or at the very least a reduced price "expansion pack" type game.
So basically, lots of people don't like paying $60 for the same general thing they already have. I don't feel like the Cod franchise has been making true sequels in a while, at least by my definition
At this point, if I want a Cod experience I will boot up Cod4 and have one.That rant is extremely long, I'm going to go preorder the new Cod now =D
order BF3 also :y:
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