Activision Says Good Bye To Guitar Hero

“God gave Rock n’ Roll to you” KISS

During this week, Activision declared that they were disbanding any further development of the Guitar Hero franchise. The same Activision once claimed that Guitar Hero was the 3rd largest game franchise ever, and that Guitar Hero 3 (Legends of Rock) was the 1st single video game to exceed $1 billion in sales. That’s quite a feat.

My first experience with Guitar Hero (GH) was with GH3: Legends of Rock, a game I still own today, back in 2007. In fact, I still play guitar based games with the guitar that came with GH3, personalised with stickers in a way only rock or gaming geeks could appreciate. I admit I’m not a musically talented person. I enjoy listening to rock music; however I’m useless with a real guitar. GH allowed me to play a video game, listen to rock music and let me feel a (very little) bit of the guitar playing experience.

GH started out back in 2005, when Red Octane and Harmonix came together (and made sweet sweet music). GH2 quickly followed in 2006, and that same year Activision purchased Red Octane (and the GH franchise). Harmonix would join with MTV Games to produce Rock Band. Activision and Red Octane would produce GH3: Legends of Rock, GH4: World Tour and several spin off dedicated themed games (Aerosmith and Metallica).

Then in 2009 they decided to “expand” (or flood) the market. Guitar Hero 5 featured “less rock” and more generalised music, along with a slightly amended logo. The same year Activision released Band Hero, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Guitar Hero: Van Halen and DJ Hero. It was an edgy move in the hope to get more music fans to become gamers. 

Sadly, none of the games sold as well as expected. Activision continued to show support for the genre and in 2010 released a “back to its roots” Guitar Hero 6: Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2.  Again, both games did not reach their respected levels of sales. In fact, both fell very short. 

Are the sales the effect of the global recession? Competition from Rock Band? A general decline in interest in the genre?

It’s a little hard to say, however how many gamers want to be buy the same game on a yearly basis with little content change? And how much music is suited to the GH genre? The online store for GH will still exist, however after February 2011 no new tracks will be added. 

I still enjoy putting GH on and enjoying a quick jam session every now and then, there is nothing like venting on “Devil Goes To Georgia” (GH3). Every so often I’ll try and see if I’ll ever be able to 100% “Spirit of the Radio” (Rush, GH5). That feeling as my fingers move in a blur across several buttons, straining to react fast enough will never fade…but I don’t think I’ll mope or be upset about the end of GH.

It is just a shame the series has not gone out on a rock inspired ending, with flames shooting from the ground and a gothic looking rock chick riding a motorbike whilst smashing a guitar across a devil’s face. Instead the end of GH comes about via a corporate press release, but then again maybe that symbolises all that became wrong with GH….