sat down with Activision Senior Vice President of Marketing Bill Kassoy on Friday to discuss Guitar Hero, EA's competing Rock Band, and casual games for Wii. "There was a lot of unmet demand due to controller shortage with the release of the first Guitar Hero," Kassoy said when asked about the franchise's massive success. "As a result, we invested heavily in ramping up production of Guitar Hero II to meet demand."

Activision, the number two independent game publisher, says the series is one of the fastest growing brands of all time. The company is currently preparing to release the third installment this fall next to EA's Rock Band, a game that some are calling the "Guitar Hero killer."

"Don't underestimate Red Octane's hardware," Kassoy responded when asked about EA's highly anticipated and more diverse music game. Rock Band not only fꦜeatures guitar, but drums, bass, and vocals all simultaneously.

July 16, 2007