According to a recent review of Activision's 1st Quarter sales, analyst group Janco is predicting new peripherals for future Guitar Hero games. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=14139 Guitar Hero fans may see a few new peripherals added to their favorite rhythm title some time in 2008. Analyst group Janco, who recently covered Activision’s first quarter earnings, said that it expects the company to compete directly with MTV/Harmonix’s upcoming Rock Band by releasing new peripherals for inevitable Guitar Hero sequels.
Janco expects the Guitar Hero brand to sell just as well as traditionally higher-selling Activision franchises like Tony Hawk and Call of Duty. Although Janco believes that Activision will post a record holiday season in sales, the group is concerned that EA’s upcoming Skate and MTV/Harmonix’s Rock Band could spell trouble for Activision in 2009.
On Rock Band, Janco sees “a compelling option for the music-oriented category beginning in holiday ’07, which will pressure Guitar Hero’s growth. That said, we expect Guitar Hero to follow a natural product evolution by adding additional music peripherals in FY08."
If true, then Wii owners can probably expect to shell out some extra cash for more air instruments for post-Guitar Hero 3 entries in the franchise. One can only expect specialized bass guitars, although Janco hints that the Guitar Hero franchise has the potential to compete directly with Rock Band, which implies a wider range of musical peripherals.