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While Rock Band lives to see another day under Harmonix’s return to independence, the franchise it started, Gutiar Hero, is all but dead after Activision disbanded the business.
It’s understandable then, that Harmonix was sad to hear of Guitar Hero’s demise.
“We were sad to hear yesterday that Activision was discontinuing development on Guitar Hero. Our thoughts are with those who are losing their jobs, and we wish them the best of luck,” read a forum post by Harmonix community manager John Drake.
“The discontinuation of Guitar Hero is discouraging news for fans of the band game genre. As retail sales of Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles have slowed with time, we’ve been focused on building a robust digital platform for music gaming and have recently crested 2,500 songs available for play within Rock Band 3.
He added: “The music genre is one that calls for constant reinvention, and Harmonix is continuing to welcome and embrace that call.
“In short, the beat of Rock Band marches on. We’re continuing to invest in the franchise and the brand that we have built, and will do our best to serve all loyal band game fans. For rhythm gamers out there who haven’t yet given Rock Band a chance, Rock Band 3 software is compatible with a wide range of instruments, including most Guitar Hero controllers. Looking to the future, for fans that want to switch, we’d happily welcome you over into the world of Rock Band.”
Drake concluded; “It’s been a wild battle of the bands since 2007, but we respect and appreciate all of the hard work and innovation of our peers who have shared the music gaming space with us, and we look forward to rocking in the future.”
“One shall stand, one shall fall” is the immortal line from leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. Never has this statement been truer than with the battle of the bands.
