(Updated 4:20 PM) Activision/Blizzard announced it is dropping the in-development Guitar Hero game planned for 2011. The company is also disbanding its Guitar Hero division, best described by the company itself in the following statement:
“Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing’s Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011."
Activision was clear that there would be no music games from the company this fiscal year. That means no Guitar Hero, and no DJ Hero. During the investment call, the company also said it plans to lay off approximately 500 employees. But does this mean the franchise is truly dead, or will we see a newly re-vamped game in 2012 or 2013? According to Wedbush Securities' analyst Michael Pachter, a return of the Guitar Hero franchise is unlikely in the near future.
"I don't think it's going to be revamped," Pachter said. "It would only happen if there's a whole new console refresh, but if it's an Xbox 360 with a two-terabyte hard-drive and an 802.11 N, who cares? You don't need a new Guitar Hero for that. I think Guitar Hero is one of those things you don't need to buy more than once."
I've contacted Activision about this, but as yet, haven't heard back from the company on an official basis, but this blog post from Activision's Dan Amrich takes a different tact from Pachter's:
"For a while there I couldn’t drown out the cries of gamers on forums, blogs, and Twitter saying GH should take some time off, and from all appearances, that’s what this is. Step back, let it breathe for a while, don’t make any major plans, and see what happens in the future. I’m very okay with that.
Chapter closed? Sure, okay. Book burned? I doubt it."
So what do you guys think? Is Guitar Hero, as a franchise, dead, or is it just sleeping for a bit?
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Eevi
" Due to continued declines in the music genre..."
So obviously the answer is to add to said decline. That's reasonable.
Jangalexis
VIVA ROCKBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DBJAY
The genre declined because of the cost of the plastic instruments was absurd. They got greedy and thought they could sell new band kits every single year. Combining that with the laughably bad graphics in the music games, now wonder sales tanked.
Same thing with Tony Hawk. Graphically a joke, another plastic peripheral to drive up the cost of the title, and tanked at retail.
It's Activision's quest to gouge the consumer that has bitten them in the butt.
the-Grim-Gamer
activision can BITE MY LEFT ONE!! sound fimular? qoute from TH American Wasteland, a game thay helped make! ok game but much better for mean sounding sayings.Hear that Donky Dongs im using your profanity agenst you. SUCK IT.
SonoAsahina
DAMN YOU COD!
shadowwing
Finally people can drop the fake guitars and learn to play real ones
Evil420Thug
The only reason the sales are dropping is not because people are losing interest in that sort of game is because they're making them crappier and crappier. They're trying way to damn hard? anyone remember what a bada** game GH2 was!? GH3 was good... Guitar Hero World Tour just plained sucked! crappy songs not only that but its ====>GUITAR<===== HERO!!!! If i wanted all the instruments i would have just played Rock Band....
abovethunivers
i was bored with it anyways.
abovethunivers
i was bored with it anyways...who cares.
pain6paths
Guitar Hero will never die, let the beast rest for the next battle will be more powerful, more brilliant and ore epic than ever! but seriously I highly doubt that they will stop the franchise especially with fan demands that will make the company think twice! nothing really dies as a franchise i mean come on look at the sonic games, its crap still fans end up buying it just cause they originally love it!
Hitman_Mr.47
Meh, I am ok with this.
~that1guy~
i have been saying for awhile now that guitar hero needs to take a break for about a year or two and it seems that time has come. just let it ride for awhile and make some good DLC for the next year. let Guitar Hero rest for awhile, but poke it with a stick every now and again to make sure it's still alive.
gadget_girl
This stinks. We've got GH Legends of Rock, World Tour, and DJ Hero. Guess I should be able to get Band Hero at a good price. The Tony Hawk thing sucks too because I got my brother Tony Hawk Ride for Christmas 2009. Hmph.
Notafanboythatiknow
If the games were good, I will be sad. But since they are crappy, nothing is lost. I am sad to admit it, but it seems official; music games are dead. I wish I had played Led Zeppelin and more Beatles RB DLC.
JMason1984
Rockband kinda up the ante with a game that can actually teach you how to play an instrument. Guitar Hero now seems week by comparison
JMason1984
Rockband kinda up the ante with a game that can actually teach you how to play an instrument. Guitar Hero now seems week by comparison
balss248
so...........is freestyle games gone? if so....then all the new dj hero's will SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCK.
kanabo master
Who cares about Guitar Hero anyway besides tweens
RaddaRadda
Rock Band is way better anyways.
Tman88
I know what many people are thinking, that this is another evil thing that was done by Activision. Well truth is, is that Activision like any other company, is also a business. Game publishers exist to make money. If a product is no longer making a certain amount of money it usually gets dropped, especially is this economy. It's not just Guitar Hero but Rock Band as well that's not fairing so well lately as Harmonix was sold off recently and has confirmed layoffs. It's all part of a tough economy. Things like this happen from time to time and people like to point fingers but in this economy, businesses have to make money to stay around. I'm not defending any publishers' particular actions or anything, I'm just saying that there is the business side of things that goes on behind the scenes and that at the end of the day, it's business and as mentioned money has to be made.
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