There was speculation this weekend that the company behind popular 'pretend-to-play-the-guitar' game 'Guitar Hero' may launch a download platform to take on iTunes. As I understand it, said download platform would sell both play-along tracks for use on the game and actual recordings by artists featured or referenced by the game, and would look to gain competitive advantage by combining the game-playing and music-downloading experiences. Or something like that.
Actually, all of this seems to be based around a throwaway remark made by the boss of games publisher Activision, Bobby Kotick, in an interview with the Financial Times. Kotick told the FT: "I don't think there have been a lot of credible alternatives to iTunes, but 'Guitar Hero' certainly has that potential".
Conspiracy theorists note that Activision - who have worked with iTunes on download spin-offs from the 'Guitar Hero' franchise in the past - is suddenly in a good position to launch its own rival download store following the completion last week of the merger between it and the gaming division of Vivendi. Activision Blizzard, as it is now known, is 52% owned by Vivendi who, of course, also own the Universal Music Group, the biggest music company on the planet, and a company whose top execs are known to like any digital music venture that could crack iTunes dominance in that sector.
Whether any of this means Activision is actively considering or developing a download store isn't clear. Other commentators note Activision's previously reported talks with the other Apple - Beatles company Apple Corps - regarding releasing a Beatles version of 'Guitar Hero'. Following the aforementioned merger, Activision are sitting on a large pile of cash, which might come in handy in securing a Beatles deal. A deal with the Fab Four involving a special edition of 'Guitar Hero' and a download package would be a real coup for Activision - given both the makers of rival game 'Rock Band' and Apple iTunes are known to want to do a Beatles deal for themselves.