We know more
"Hero" games are on the way, but Activision may have another revenue stream in the works for their popular music franchise. A wide-ranging Seattle Times
interview (via
Plastic Axe) with Red Octane co-founder Kai Huang turned toward the question of a monthly subscription service for the game's downloadable content. "That's definitely one of the things we would love to do," Huang said. "There are a lot of issues around music licensing. Customers want it; I know I want it. We're trying to make that happen."
A subscription-based service like
Rhapsody would certainly be a big win for the franchise if priced right, providing fans with a large catalog of playable tracks while giving the company a consistent revenue stream. The statement that they're already looking into it suggests the possibility, though Huang was right to point out that such a setup runs into difficulties when it comes to getting the rights from musicians. Still, we'd be curious to see what kind of monthly fee would be deemed appropriate for all-you-can-eat Guitar Hero DLC.
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