DJ Hero Sells 1.2M Units Despite Early Sales Concerns

Despite early sales performance that failed to meet analysts' initial expectations, FreeStyleGames' DJ Hero has sold around 1.2 million units in North America, says publisher Activision. Following its release late last October, the game performed "modestly" at retail -- some analyst projections had thought the game would move 1.6 million units in its first quarter alone -- and contributed to concerns that the music genre was on a permanent downward slide. But according to Activision's company blog One Of Swords, the game's sales continued steadily after launch, in part due to strong reviews that praised the game's strong soundtrack and uniqueness after a slate of guitar-based games. "What it needed was time for its audience to find it, a price break, and positive word from both friends and reviews to circulate," wrote Activision's Dan Amrich. The post came in the context of a defense of Bizarre Creations' racing game Blur, another new Activision franchise that got off to a slow start. According to tracking firm NPD, the game sold only 31,000 units in the United States this May. Amrich said it's still "way, way too early to call Blur a failure by any measure." And while DJ Hero game's unit sales might not have topped any year-end charts, Activision said earlier this year that the game represented the highest revenue for any new intellectual property in 2009.