( dpa ) - The hit video-game franchise Guitar Hero has racked up 1 billion dollars in sales in North America, its maker, Activision, said Tuesday, quoting figures from the NDP Group, a global research firm.
The game requires players to press a sequenced series of buttons to replicate great guitar solos from popular rock and pop songs. The software achieved the impressive sales figure by selling more than 14 million copies in a little over two years since it was launched.
The game's latest installment, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, is now the best-selling single-year video game title of all time, measured in both units and total dollar revenue.
Since Guitar Hero III's launch in October, gamers have also downloaded 5 million songs, which cost 6.25 dollars for a three-song pack or 2.50 dollars for individual songs.
"Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today," said Activision chief executive Michael Griffith. "Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium."
The franchise is now seeing some competition from titles like Rock Band, which lets players take on the roles of drummers, singers and bassists in addition to the now-traditional iconic rock guitar god.