Kotick claims that Activision could “re-invent” the series in the future.
Guitar Hero might be dead and buried, but according to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, it doesn’t necessarily have to stay that way. Kotick said that while music games weren’t making much money right now, Activision might one day consider bringing the brand back.
Kotick said that the music game genre wasn’t an area that was getting consumers excited, and so Activision had decided to focus its attention elsewhere. Activision had previously remarked to CVG that the manufacturing and licensing costs involved with music games, combined with the decline in interest, meant that the titles just weren’t profitable anymore. He didn’t say that Activision would bring Guitar Hero back, just that it could, after tweaking and adjusting the formula. Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on your point of view – Kotick said that that wasn’t a particularly high priority for Activision right now.
I’m not sure that Guitar Hero really needs to be reinvented; instead, a chance to cool off might be more appropriate. Since the series started in 2005, Activision has pumped out a heck of a lot of Guitar Hero games, especially between the latter half of 2008 and the start of 2010. It’s not hard to see how people might start to get bored after six releases in a year – including DJ Hero – not to mention the games on mobile platforms. Perhaps after a year or two without a new Guitar or DJ Hero game, interest in music games might recover.
Source: CVG
