Guitar Hero III becomes top-grossing game ever

Forget going platinum -- Guitar Hero just went green.

At the recent CES convention, Activision announced that sales of Guitar Hero III have surpassed $1 billion, making it the first video game to ever reach the stunning ten-figure mark.

Perhaps more astounding is the fact that just one year ago, Activision announced that the Guitar Hero franchise as a whole passed the $1 billion mark, a figure that included every version of the game released since 2005. Having hit stores in the fall of 2007, Guitar Hero III accomplished the feat on its own in well under two years.

Activision publishing CEO Mike Griffith believes the news should put other media on alert.

"Movies, recorded music and TV - these are all stagnating or contracting entertainment sectors," he said. "Video games are poised to eclipse all other forms of entertainment in the decade ahead."

Griffith was quick to point out, however, that the music industry in particular can benefit from gaming's success. He noted that recording artists with music featured in Guitar Hero have enjoyed a 15-843% increase in download sales, and that the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game was a huge success for the seminal rock band.

"Music has a history of evolving through technology and we are at the beginning of the latest chapter in that story," he added.

A silver lining for musicians: Guitar Hero's success has driven sales of actual guitars, too.

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