Guitar Hero: World Tour tops Rock Band 2 in by 2:1 in 2008
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Jan 26th 2009 at 7:30PM }
GameSpot reports that the NPD Group has released the overall sales data for both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour for 2008 and World Tour has come out on top. Breaking it down, across all SKUs and every platform, Guitar Hero: World Tour managed to sell 3.4 million copies in North America, while Rock Band 2 sold 1.7 million copies. It's important to remember that Rock Band 2 had a staggered release schedule, hitting each platform at different times, while Guitar Hero: World Tour landed on each platform simultaneously.Furthermore, the numbers don't take into acount the sales of the original Rock Band, which can be had at a lower price than the sequel (an important consideration in today's economy).
[Via Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
john paul @ Jan 26th 2009 7:34PM
The war was over when they got Heidi Klum
rohan @ Jan 26th 2009 7:39PM
wait this counts GH:WT the full set vs RB2 full set? if it is not a much of a fight since most of those ppl will have got RB1 set and just got the disc.....
pete @ Jan 26th 2009 8:10PM
yes this includes all SKU's of both games... including the disc-only versions. sorry to burst your bubble
rohan @ Jan 26th 2009 10:01PM
@ pete: the last time i checked the full set cost more that a disc thus will give in more money.....
pete @ Jan 26th 2009 10:51PM
if im not mistaken it says that rock band sold a certain amount of copies, and guitar hero doubled that number. money was not mentioned
DBoyFlex @ Jan 26th 2009 7:44PM
I hear from more people they like Rock Band. Where did these numbers come from and how accurate are they? I say not very. There has to be some caveat.
Andrew @ Jan 26th 2009 8:33PM
The better game doesn't always pull in the better sales.
Tann @ Jan 27th 2009 1:56PM
@ Andrew
In my opinion, in this case, i think it does.
Canadian77 @ Jan 26th 2009 7:50PM
Very true Rohan. I also think that since RB1 first came out in 2007 these figures will be very squed in favor of GH:WT.
JBurton @ Jan 26th 2009 7:59PM
Well it says in the Gamespot article that RB2 had 13-14 days to sell on the Wii and PS2. While GH:WT had since October 26th (A little over 2 months.) And anyone who has any clue about gaming knows that a.) Christmas shopping is done after Thanksgiving, not 6-7 days before Christmas. So they probably ran out in stores and were out of stock, and b.) The PS2 and Wii have the largest install base of any two consoles combined.
Enzemo @ Jan 26th 2009 8:20PM
Don't forget that Rock Band 2 only just released for PS3.
So all them PS3 users would go for Guitar Hero World Tour or Rock Band 1.
Also when buying for your kid I think most parents regonise the name Guitar Hero above Rock Band because of 1,2 and 3.
Vincent060 @ Jan 27th 2009 9:07AM
Not necessarily. I waited till RB2 came out on PS3 and got it first day. Most everyone who knows the difference between GH:WT and RB2 prefer RB2. And after getting my younger brother the disc only GH:WT for Christmas, I know I made the right choice.
Enzemo @ Jan 27th 2009 9:14AM
Sorry, should of mentioned, Rock Band 2 only just came out on PS3 in the U.K.
And yeah, Rock Band 2 is a lot better than GH:WT. Im just saying its more of a household name, a lot of parents will associate Rock Band as that game that needs all the instuments and costs £125. But they know that Guitar Hero will work with their already brought guitars. They don't realise that Rock Band 2 is just as playable without the drum kit and it works with guitar hero controllers.
bknight @ Jan 26th 2009 9:27PM
This is not suprising, unlike GB:WT which had bascially a world wide release on all platforms at the same time Rock Band 2 has done the normal thing on releasing 360 first then later PS3 and WII version.
In Europe only 360 version is still for sale.
phkna @ Jan 26th 2009 10:21PM
Ahh but the most important numbers is who wins in DL content
buttscratch @ Jan 27th 2009 1:40PM
QUANTITY VS QUALITY... hmmm.. i'm sorry but GH is not good. I can't stand even the visuals, much less the gameplay...
TX2Step @ Jan 27th 2009 1:01AM
I bought Guitar Hero World Tour and was totally disappointed and got me the Rock Band 2.. glad that I did. Now if only Harmonix would release good songs for me to jam out to.
Paul @ Jan 27th 2009 1:18PM
"Now if only Harmonix would release good songs for me to jam out to."
ummm....what? if you can't find any good songs in the 500+ songs harmonix has released then you are the pickiest person in the world or have terrible taste in music.....
Josh @ Jan 27th 2009 11:47AM
I bought GHWT and sold it within a week - it's just amateur hour compared to the Rock Band series. Don't get me wrong - if you primarily play the guitar and nothing else - it is probably better... but with the mic and drums... Rock Band just gets it.
Gorman @ Jan 27th 2009 1:13PM
From my experience up in Canada, Rock Band whipped Guitar Hero. On boxing day I saw GH:WT kits by the dozen and it did not look like anyone was biting. From what I have seen these numbers are backwards.
MewLover34 @ Jan 27th 2009 4:29PM
You jerk-off's (the rb fanboys) are aware there are ton's of people who are just as retarded about GH as you are about RB. I kind of prefer RB but not by a lot. Sure the interface is a tad bit better but it really just comes down to the setlist, and without any DLC I think GH has it beat, but the DLC is there and you can play it in the main game. However anyone like this clown above me that would say the gameplay in GH is awful is a total tool...
Crazed Geek @ Jan 29th 2009 4:18AM
The gameplay *is* awful, sorry. The positioning of each instrument's individual multiplier is just plain awkward, the star power meter is in one of the most inconvenient places that I can think of, the activation of star power on the drums is weird, and the vocals are so horrendously broken no one ever does them.
imbrett @ Mar 31st 2009 6:02PM
I agree that it really does come down to the setlist...and the download add-ons in RB are better IMO, especially Old 97s - "Time Bomb". http://displacedbrett.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/time-bomb/