The Guitar Hero franchise includes the original Guitar Hero for the PS2 which was launched way back in 2005. Then came Guitar Hero II, which was launched once again for the PS2 in 2006, which was followed by the launch of this same game for the Xbox 360 in 2007.Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s came out in 2007 for the PS2 and the most recent Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock also came out in 2007 for multiple platforms including the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC and even the Mac.
Guitar Hero has literally become a household name. More than that, it has become one of the most highly rated party games.
Figures from the NPD group indicate that the franchise has sold over 14 million units in the North of America alone from the time of the launch of the original Guitar Hero.
"Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today. Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium," said Michael Griffith, president and CEO, Activision Publishing.
Activision also recently announced that gamers have already downloaded over 5 million sounds with 10 weeks of releasing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
Activision was recently named the Top US console and handheld publisher for 2007 by the NPD Group.