Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock sold only 86,000 units in the US in its first week according to analysts Cowen & Company.

The figures indicate a dramatic decline in sales for the series. The previous instalment released last year, Guitar Hero 5, sold 499,000 copies in the US its first week. 2008’s Guitar Hero: World Tour topped 500,000 in its first week. 2007’s Guitar Hero III sold more than 1.4 million units in its first week.

The opinion of many analysts and specialist media commentators has been that the rhythm genre has peaked. These figures may corroborate that sentiment.

Gameplanet scored Warriors of Rock a very respectable 7.5/10 but wondered aloud as to whether the game could reinvigorate the interest of those gamers who decided to get a haircut and a real job after playing World Tour.