Is The Music Game Genre Dead?

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

So, looking over the numbers for the genre and, things aren't looking good.

In 2008, the genre hit its peak, raking in $1.6 billion between all the games in the genre.

In 2009, that number dropped to half, to $870 million, it should be noted that the number of games released in the genre had a large increase in 09, though.

In 2010, from the numbers from January through October, the genre has yet to break $250 million.

So, what say y'all? Is the genre dead? Is this one cash cow that's been milked to death?

[Cyno]

I don't think it's dead. But the bubble has burst. And Bobby Kotick held the pin.

[The Tank]

It's not dead, but it's sure as hell on the way to the graveyard.

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

It's well on the way, and we all know who to blame for it.

[default]

I'll go with not yet. Guitar Hero flooded the market like mad and quickly made a point that you could easily wait a few months to pick up a title for prices that are only really seen these days in older sports titles. Rock Revolution and PowerGig have done nothing to help (and if you're not helping, you're hurting).

But I think Rock Band's straight forwardness with backwards compatability, instrument compatability, character customization and licensing have shown they understand the fanbase and market.

It'll likely regress into the niche market it was destined to be, but I think Rock Band (and even Guitar Hero, pretty much by name recognition) can live comfortably and make profits if they play it safe.

But yeah, it's also ridiculous how many sets I've seen at yardsales/classifieds/craigslist.

[celticjobber]

I don't think it's dead, the audience for the genre is just leveling off as the casuals find something new.

[Deleted]

Nope, and it never will. Dance Dance Revolution forever!!

[Glitch]

Not the music game genre. But guitar hero by itself I can totally see becoming dead.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Nov 20, 2010 1:17:26 GMT -5 cageking666 said:

Nope, and it never will. Dance Dance Revolution forever!!

I don't count dancing games as music games. For me a music game is a game where you actually play a song. A dancing game is just that a dancing game, and has more to do with rhythm.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Nov 20, 2010 1:11:50 GMT -5 default said:

I'll go with not yet. Guitar Hero flooded the market like mad and quickly made a point that you could easily wait a few months to pick up a title for prices that are only really seen these days in older sports titles. Rock Revolution and PowerGig have done nothing to help (and if you're not helping, you're hurting).

But I think Rock Band's straight forwardness with backwards compatability, instrument compatability, character customization and licensing have shown they understand the fanbase and market.

It'll likely regress into the niche market it was destined to be, but I think Rock Band (and even Guitar Hero, pretty much by name recognition) can live comfortably and make profits if they play it safe.

But yeah, it's also ridiculous how many sets I've seen at yardsales/classifieds/craigslist.

Well if it does survive and returns to the niche genre, one thing is for sure, we probably won't see any more yearly releases in the genre.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Oh, sorry for the triple post, but I also like to say that we don't even know the future of Rock Band, as Viacom, owners of MTV Games, the owners of Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, are selling Harmonix.

So really the future is unknown. If someone like EA grabs them, then the future still looks bright for the genre, as a niche genre, but if someone like Ubisoft or Activision buys them, then the genre is most likely going to die.

[FUNK_US/BRODUS]

It got oversaturated with game after game (GH 1,2,3,World Tour,5, 80's, Van Halen, Smash Hits, Metallica, Aerosmith, Rock Band 1, Rock Band 2) not to mention an astronomical amount of DLC. The market is dead but it still has the party play value.

[Mozenrath]

It's not dead, just dropped off. Are you a Sith, Koda? Only Sith deal in absolutes.

[Deleted]

It's dead unless they make a feature or legal loophole where you can play any song as you please.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Nov 20, 2010 3:48:18 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

It's not dead, just dropped off. Are you a Sith, Koda? Only Sith deal in absolutes.

Sith get the cooler powers.

[noleafclover1980]

It is for me... after GH:Metallica... lost all desire to buy a new version. No way any game after that would have a set list as solid (IMO) so, why bother?

[default]

Nov 20, 2010 3:34:26 GMT -5 Koda, Master Crunchyroller said:

Oh, sorry for the triple post, but I also like to say that we don't even know the future of Rock Band, as Viacom, owners of MTV Games, the owners of Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band, are selling Harmonix.

So really the future is unknown. If someone like EA grabs them, then the future still looks bright for the genre, as a niche genre, but if someone like Ubisoft or Activision buys them, then the genre is most likely going to die.

I imagine EA will step in and buy them considering their partnership.

I also wouldn't rule out Disney, although I'm not sure how keen MTV would be to sell to them with their ties to Nick.

[percymania]

Platformers were all the rage of the 80's. Then RPGs came along and exploded in the early 90's. Then when the 32-bit systems started coming out, it was mostly racing and fighting games. This latest generation has mostly been FPS's and music-based games. None of the previous genres ever died, so I don't expect music games to just totally go away. With the next generation of gaming systems, it's likely we'll see a whole new craze. I would bet money that it'll be MMORPGs, or something similar.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Nov 20, 2010 5:53:29 GMT -5 percymania said:

Platformers were all the rage of the 80's. Then RPGs came along and exploded in the early 90's. Then when the 32-bit systems started coming out, it was mostly racing and fighting games. This latest generation has mostly been FPS's and music-based games. With the next generation of gaming systems, it's likely we'll see a whole new craze. I would bet money that it'll be MMORPGs, or something similar.

Only problem is the music game genre basically boomed and died in just 5 years. That has to be the shortest reign for any particular genre I can think of.

Platformers lasted from the 80s till the mid-90s, over a decade before going bust, RPGs haven't really busted yet. They are still booming. Though, I guess you can say JRPGs have busted, cause few of them have come out compared to previous generations, and the ones that do come out sell, well, not that well. Racing games lasted strong until about, 4 or 5 years ago. Fighting games were major during nearly the entire span of the 90s. FPS games will probably never go bust. If they go bust, then the industry itself will probably go bust.

[shadowangel]

Nov 20, 2010 3:24:55 GMT -5 Koda, Master Crunchyroller said:

I don't count dancing games as music games. For me a music game is a game where you actually play a song.

Had to quote that because i really had to chuckle after reading that, for a real musician this sounds just too funny ;D
I pity the fools who bought all those games instead of a real instrument, learning to play for real and having more fun with it

I can see Guitar Hero and Rock Band dying out. They just pulled out so many titles in such a short span, that it was a complete overkill. They released what? 14 Guitar Hero titles in the last 3 years?
They milked the crowd like crazy. Rock Band wasn't as extreme, but there were also some titles.
It was just a fad, a short lived hype that is now dying out.

As for conventional music rhythm games: They will live on, the casual gamer crowd and kids love them and Kinect already has some of those games (I can see that Michael Jackson game becoming a big hit)

Nov 20, 2010 5:53:29 GMT -5 percymania said:

Platformers were all the rage of the 80's. Then RPGs came along and exploded in the early 90's. Then when the 32-bit systems started coming out, it was mostly racing and fighting games. This latest generation has mostly been FPS's and music-based games. None of the previous genres ever died, so I don't expect music games to just totally go away. With the next generation of gaming systems, it's likely we'll see a whole new craze. I would bet money that it'll be MMORPGs, or something similar.

Well:
2D Shoot 'em Up were pretty popular in the 80's and early 90's, it's a dead genre now. Nobody cares for it anymore.
Beat 'em Ups like Streets of Rage, Double Dragon and so on, where popular in the late 80's to mid-90's. It's a dead genre now.
2D Versus Fighter are more or less dead, because most people rather play Tekken, Soul Calibur or Street Fighter then titles like Guilty Gear
What else do we got? Oh yeah, Light Gun Shooters....dead. Rail Shooters like Panzer Dragoon are also pretty much dead.
Flight Simulations were all the hype on the PC from the 80's to the late 90's - now the genre is dead, there's no Falcon 5, no new Gunship, nothing.
The same can be said for Space Simulations like Wing Commander or Freespace...dead (Except for EVE Online)
Classic RPGs in the style of Dungeon Master, Ultima or Might & Magic are also dead, today most of this games are based on Action and play mostly like First person shooters (Fallout 3 is a good example, compare that to the real Fallout games)

A lot of Genres died out, some made a return (like Point & Click Adventures on PC, but they are also dying out once again)