Guitar Hero Killing It On Mobile

Mobile Game Developer Hands-On Mobile has announced that Guitar Hero III Mobile was the number one selling mobile game on Verizon Wireless phones in the first quarter of 2008.

Initially released exclusively by Verizon Wireless, Guitar Hero III Mobile is striking a chord with fans all over the world, shattering mobile game records with nearly 1 million downloads, including monthly subscriptions, across all wireless service providers.

Ryan Hughes, vice president of digital media programming for Verizon, said, "Verizon Wireless customers have shown a tremendous appetite for mobile games - the category is an important part of our strategy to increase data revenue, and marquee titles such as Guitar Hero III help create demand and engage our customers in mobile gameplay."

Guitar Hero III Mobile has become one of the fastest selling games in mobile gaming history. More than 250,000 songs are played every day by mobile subscribers across the U.S. The most played songs include "Slow Ride" (re-record), "Mississippi Queen" (re-record) and "Black Magic Woman" (re-record).

"Fans of the Guitar Hero console games have been very impressed with the title's translation onto BREW handsets," said David White, chief executive officer of Hands-On Mobile. "Guitar Hero III Mobile has opened the eyes of a whole new group of consumers to the world of mobile games."

Mobile research firm M:Metrics said that consumer demand for mobile games in the U.S. has yet to reach its peak, but as it has seen from the demand for Guitar Hero III Mobile since its launch, this title is clearly a game changer. "Guitar Hero is a recognizable franchise that has already won over consumers with the console version, setting it up for great success on the mobile platform," said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst, M:Metrics. The firm reports that the number of people downloading a mobile game continues to grow, with 20 million playing a downloaded game in March.