NEW YORK (Hypebot) – Music-based video game sales are down 50% from the prior year. Profits in the category reached $875 million in 2009 and it is reported to be lucky if it breaks $500 this year.
Reasons for the decline are varied. Some suspect that each fan that wanted one already has a system and the innovations in the field were not enough to garner attention.
While a slew of games are entering the market this fall, they are not expected to bring the genre back to life. This leaves the record industry searching yet again for a platform that will engage fans and interest them buying music.
"Perhaps the labels should have focused on keeping the games cheap," writes Mike Masnick at TechDirt, "knowing that they actually helped drive more interest in the acts whose songs were available, helping to actually increase sales in other areas."
