Activision axes Guitar Hero franchise

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.

New Guitar Hero Gets New Guitar

Activision is sweetening its band-game pot by offering a completely redesigned guitar.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, which is taking a step away from the pop music in Guitar Hero 5 and back to the franchise roots with hard rock and metal, is due out later this year.

The new installment will, as expected, come with a brand new guitar. In addition to being sleeker and with a completely different form factor, this one has another unique feature - it's customizable.

There will be interchangeable faceplates, removable wings, and all sorts of other customization options, because the brain of the guitar is all in the neck, making the body completely free to be adjusted.

Warriors of Rock will be available later this year.

Logitech Unveils Wireless Drum Kit for PS3 Guitar Hero

Logitech has unveiled its newest Guitar Hero accessory, the Wireless Drum controller. The kit is for Guitar Hero only; I wish they supported rock Band too. The drum controller has drumheads and cymbals that are adjustable to suit the player's style.

Drumheads are very quiet making for less noise during game play. The bass pedal has a stainless steel surface and adjustable spring. Logitech promises that the drum kit lasts 50 hours on two AA batteries.

Connectivity to the PS3 is with a 2.4GHz wireless USB receiver and when you are done playing the drum kit folds flat for storage.

Via: Logitech

Guitar Hero to Become Reality TV Show?

Activision Blizzard's popular video game "Guitar Hero" could become a reality TV show and/or a real-life concert tour, says The Hollywood Reporter. Activision is also looking to turn the "World of Warcraft" and "Call of Duty" games into movies.

About the "Guitar Hero" franchise, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said, "It might make for a good TV show or a good concert tour."

"Guitar Hero" and "Call of Duty" in the first quarter were two of the Top 5 best-selling franchises across all video game platforms in Europe and the U.S. "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King" was the top PC game, in terms of revenue, in the U.S.

A Warcraft movie has been in development at Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures for some time.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Teen Sets New Guitar Hero World Record

A new world record holder for Guitar Hero for the highest score on a single song for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has been set. A Texas teen has scored 973,954 points on Expert level with 99% completion on the song Through the Fire and Flames by Dragon Force.

The 14-year-old boy is from Grapevine, Texas and has reportedly traded the record with Chris Chike for the last year. Anyone who is not familiar with this game and this track may not understand how difficult it is.

I bet his fingers were flying to get through the song at 99% completion. There is still room for improvement though and soon a perfect score will be needed to grab the record.

Via Guinness World Records