Destiny
Feb 11th, 2011, 02:05 PM
Just under two years ago, the Guitar Hero franchise was riding high, having racked up over $2 billion in sales from its various installments. However, the intervening period has seen its fortunes fall, with sales plummeting to the point that the latest installment in the series, Warriors of Rock, sold fewer than 100,000 copies during its debut month last September.
As a result of the franchise's weakening, Activision shut down original publisher RedOctane and hit former developer Neversoft with layoffs. Today, though, comes word that the series may have paid the ultimate price. According to the company's latest financial report, the 2011 installment of the game has been axed, and "the company will disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit." The company also confirmed that the DJ Hero series is being discontinued.
The company did not comment on whether there will be another Guitar Hero game sometime down the line. However, in a conference call with analysts after the earnings release's publication, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said that, with licensing fees and music royalties, the company just couldn't make profitable Guitar Hero or DJ Hero games at current sales levels. He also said that the company would continue to fund downloadable content for the series as a way of keeping the current customer base engaged.
Read more: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6298334.html
Looks like Guitar hero was finally milked dry. And the new True Crime would have probably sucked anyway.
As a result of the franchise's weakening, Activision shut down original publisher RedOctane and hit former developer Neversoft with layoffs. Today, though, comes word that the series may have paid the ultimate price. According to the company's latest financial report, the 2011 installment of the game has been axed, and "the company will disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit." The company also confirmed that the DJ Hero series is being discontinued.
The company did not comment on whether there will be another Guitar Hero game sometime down the line. However, in a conference call with analysts after the earnings release's publication, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said that, with licensing fees and music royalties, the company just couldn't make profitable Guitar Hero or DJ Hero games at current sales levels. He also said that the company would continue to fund downloadable content for the series as a way of keeping the current customer base engaged.
Read more: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6298334.html
Looks like Guitar hero was finally milked dry. And the new True Crime would have probably sucked anyway.