Thursday, February 10, 2011

Guitar Hero finally dead!

  Did you hear that? It's the fat lady, singing her heart out.


Activision released a bombshell today during their latest earnings report by announcing that the once-vaunted Guitar Hero franchise will be unceremoniously put to rest for the forseeable future.
"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," the company said in a statement.
It's just the latest bad news to hit the ailing music game genre. The most recent Guitar Hero game, Warriors of Rock, failed to ignite the sales charts, and in December of 2010, media giant Viacom sold off Rock Band developer Harmonix. Just last week, longtime Rock Band publisher MTV Games was officially shut down.
In addition to Guitar Hero, Activision has halted development on its True Crime: Hong Kong action game.
"These decisions are based on the desire to focus on the greatest opportunities that the company currently has to create the world's best interactive entertainment experiences," they explained.
In a conference call, Activision said about 500 employees -- roughly 7% of its work force -- will be laid off by the cancellations.
It's not all doom and gloom, however, as Activision also revealed plans to support its Call of Duty franchise by forming a new internal studio. Dubbed "Beachhead," the team is tasked with creating a "best-in-class online community, exclusive content, and a suite of services" for the best-selling shooter series. The company will also be investing in a new online multiplayer game from World of WarCraft makers Blizzard.
First released on 2005 for the Playstation 2, Guitar Hero ushered in a lucrative era of music gaming. According to Activision, its 2007 iteration, Guitar Hero III, set an industry record by being the first video game to earn over $1 billion in retail sales. It's all been downhill from there, however, as the one-two punch of an economic downturn and an oversaturated music game market resulted in stagnant sales and dwindling consumer interest in the franchise.
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20 comments:

  1. Pro DishwasherFebruary 10, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    Thank fucking god

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  2. The GovernorFebruary 10, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    awesome i hated that game

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  3. SarastraszaFebruary 10, 2011 at 1:06 PM

    thank god for this, guitarr hero was always an insult to gaming, let that murderer die!!!

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    I could not stand that shit

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    B-but... Oh, man, I liked GH, but it started getting shitty after GH:III...

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  6. JordanFebruary 10, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    i could care less about guitar hero, i was really good at the second and third one, but after they started adding in the drums and vocals it wasnt fun anymore. and it sucks theyre delaying true crime, those games are really fun.

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  7. FitzenFebruary 10, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    I never actually thought this would happen. Maybe everyone switched to real instruments?

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  8. BrockFebruary 10, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    That's a shame, I've had some good times with guitar hero.

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  9. D4February 10, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    R.I.P.

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  10. oneginFebruary 10, 2011 at 7:30 PM

    I dont even mad, this south park episode had it right, kids dont know about rock anymore

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  11. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2011 at 9:08 PM

    I knew this would eventually happen, they were probably paying a grip just to use the music.

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  12. MeFebruary 10, 2011 at 10:42 PM

    Goodby cruel world!


    Thank god

    They milked the shit out of that series.

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  13. Pure GamerFebruary 10, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    HAHAHAHAHA! Its funny how many gamers are actually glad it got canned. Seems like proper gamers and musicians hated this fad alike!

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  14. PvtCarlinFebruary 11, 2011 at 7:56 AM

    Trends come and go, at least activision knows when its time to go.

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  15. BlogTrollFebruary 11, 2011 at 8:25 AM

    Good! the real thing is alot better

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  16. BFebruary 11, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    R.I.P.

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  17. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2011 at 12:19 AM

    I've been waiting for this moment all my life, but its not quite right.

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  18. BubiFebruary 16, 2011 at 12:01 AM

    rust in peace GH

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  19. The WiredFebruary 16, 2011 at 10:57 PM

    Thank god, I"m not the only one who hates Guitar Hero..I think I hate the concept behind it more though..

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  20. Patti D.February 17, 2011 at 11:38 PM

    I can't say I'm sad, since I never liked the series, but I feel sorry for the people that are getting sacked.

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