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Guitar Hero/DJ Hero dead, True Crime: Hong Kong canceled photo

[Update: During the conference, Activision just confirmed the death of DJ Hero as part of the Guitar Hero franchise. True Crime: Hong Kong was canceled because it was "just not good enough" to compete in the open world genre. Most of all, they didn't expect it to generate enough profit and stopped development.]

Activision Blizzard is set to announce its Q4 results any minute, but that didn't stop them from announcing that Guitar Hero is dead. No longer shall we have to deal with Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero arguments, as the Guitar Hero business unit has been disbanded and all work on the 2011 Guitar Hero game has been discontinued. Maybe there is a God after all!

Development on True Crime: Hong Kong has also been stopped. Which might be one of the reasons you probably didn't hear anything about it for a while now.

Activision Blizzard will instead focus on Call of Duty titles, the development of a "best-in-class digital community surrounding the Call of Duty franchise" -- good luck with that -- a new Bungie IP and some new and "innovative universe with broad appeal" that will be revealed at Toy Fair later this week.








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Maurice Tan Maurice Tan does his Associate Editing from The Netherlands in a reality-shattering time zone. After working as a university lecturer in Psychology and Communications teaching game studies and the merits of Keyboard Cat, he now spends most of his time posting news, previews, reviews, and features about industry stuff or all things PC and strategy. He is also a connoisseur of licensed games, as long as they have achievements. Likes Deus Ex, Colonization, Mass Effect, TIE Fighter, and his iPod Touch. Meet the rest of the team



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131 comments | showing # 1 to 50
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GRiVEN's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:47
GRiVEN
Wow.
eskimo bob's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:48
eskimo bob
"Guitar Hero has been discontinued"

Me: Hey, maybe Activision is finally learning something!

"... so that Activision can focus on making Call of Duty games!"

Me: Forget I even said anything. Wake me up when they abandon Call of Duty for another franchise to exploit.
ZeroTM's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:49
ZeroTM
Am I the only one who's sad panda about the gh thing? I greatly enjoy the guitar hero games and I'm always ready for more awesomeness.
nanowerx's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:51
nanowerx
While I am all about them finally giving up the fight with Guitar Hero, to know that they are just going to use those extra resources for more Call of Duty just turns my stomach.

Jesus fucking Christ Activision knows how to run a franchise into the ground. I mean, they seriously just made a press release saying they are giving up on the last franchise they milked only to let us know (in the same article) that they are giving the same milking treatment to Call of Duty....I...I..I just don't get it.
Malfegor's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:53
Malfegor
Oh, okay. So the next step is to drive CoD into the ground until they have to disband that too?

Fine with me.
TheRemix's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:54
TheRemix
No more Guitar Hero = More Call of Duty? Hmmm, I liked Guitar Hero more than CoD, so I'm a little conflicted here... That's not to say I really liked either of them in the first place... At least now Harmonix will stand unchallenged at the top of the plastic instrument genre, where it deserves to be.
SuperMonk4Ever's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:55
SuperMonk4Ever
Guitar Hero is dead: Yay!

Activision is now focusing on COD: Shit...
Epic-Kx's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:55
Epic-Kx
NO TRUE CRIME: HONG KONG?!

NO!

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

AW GAWD, AW GAWD.

I-I CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND WHY THEY WOULD DO THIS? IT LOOKED SOO GREAT!
tuoman's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:55
tuoman
General Activision sheds no tears as it puts down it's old horse Guitar Hero, he just wipes the dust off his hands and mounts the shiny steed Call of Duty in order to ride it relentlessly to the ground 300 yards ahead.
Sir Tobbii's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:56
Sir Tobbii
Damn, I loved my Guitar Hero 5 (best in the series IMO). Oh well, at least I still have that.
Elsa's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:56
Elsa
Guitar Hero is dead! LOL! I have to laugh because back when Bobby Kotick was talking about pulling support for the PS3, my thought at the time was that I'd just make sure to buy Rockband and not Guitar Hero. I wonder if their PS3 sales of GH dried up after Kotick threatened PS3 gamers?
... I'm jsut not surprised that it's dead.
Justice's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:58
Justice
Damn, I thought they'd never give up GH. I'm interested to see if they completely abandon the genre (including DJ Hero) or if they come up with something new, hopefully the latter.
Astalano's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:58
Astalano
TC:HK actually had potential! What is wrong with these fuckers?

Actually, this might be a good thing. As they focus more on CoD they'll drive it into the ground until I no longer have to listen to people endlessly drool over it like it's the second coming.
Startyde's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:58
Startyde
So can we assume DJ Hero will be dumped any second?
KingSigy's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:58
KingSigy
Oh Christ, no way! This is awesome.
SuperMonk4Ever's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 15:59
SuperMonk4Ever
Wait... back up here for a minute... what does this mean for DJ Hero? I love DJ Hero 2 and I don't want anything happening to that franchise yet... until they milk it dry and run it into the ground that is.
Chris Carter's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:01
Chris Carter
.4m sales is failure to them. I called it!
Darckcloud723's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:03
Darckcloud723
I was really looking forward to that true crime game (loved the idea of a kung Fu undercover cop). So all activation has left is COD, spiderman, and anything Blizzard is working on... GO EA
SigfriedLion's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:03
SigfriedLion
So Warriors of Rock was Guitar Hero's swan song... there goes good note charting and song selection that actually has guitar on it.
ArcticFox's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:03
ArcticFox
@eskimo bob

My thought was the same.

My thought process as the article went like this:

vApathyv's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:04
vApathyv
Guitar Hero's death is sad, but expected. Despite it being a great game and a nod that they had finally stopped sucking (GH 5 paved the way, but it remained to be seen if they would keep it going), it sold abysmally. And after seeing their changes made towards their DLC scheduling, you could tell things simply were not okay over there. Luckily, Harmonix is still around and, hey, maybe some of the former GH guys can find work over there. Their new-found independence speaks well for them, and though the Rock Band 3 disc might not have sold as well as other holiday titles, their DLC sales are still great and I do recall hearing somewhere once that Rock Band DLC was one of the strongest revenue areas for Xbox Live/PSN, so I doubt they're going anywhere soon. Not to mention they're absolute critical darlings as of late.


As for the True Crime game, I wasn't much looking forward to that either but it's still sad news. I could have sworn I saw an updated look on that game less than a month ago. Here's hoping those guys can find work too.
amtalx's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:04
amtalx
Translation:

We only need CoD to steal all your monies.
RichardBlaine's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:10
RichardBlaine
The king is dead, long live the king!
ralphster's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:12
ralphster
i hate activision and i love ea but theres no doubt cod will rape any ea games in sales
RocketKnight's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:14
RocketKnight
Hm. Well I'm rather impartial to this, I don't really care for the Guitar Hero games that much, but it is a shame to the fans of the series.
But as for more Call of Duty..... I think I'll stick to RPGs from now on.... haha.
DF's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:14
DF
Yeah, considering I can get the DJ Hero 2 bundle for cheaper than a retail game new...there are problems. We've enough plastic peripherals in the market as it is, and I guess DJ Hero just didn't appeal to the big crowds.
Char Aznable's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:15
Char Aznable
Wow, I figured they'd keep cranking out Guitar Hero games regardless of whether or not anyone still cared.

Now let's see if Bobby Kotick's vision of a subscription-based Call of Duty comes true.
DeusPayne's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:17
DeusPayne
Noooooo..... I want my DJ Hero 3.... The second one had so many flaws that needed fixing.....
Vxxyman's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:19
Vxxyman
So it finally happened? Damn.
Gilgamesh1317's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:20
Gilgamesh1317
I almost wanted to give Activision some credit for killing off one of their cash cows, but the increased concentration on Call Of Duty killed that want pretty quickly.

I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with hearing people brag about their "skills" in the series pretty much all the time.
AllenR's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:20
AllenR
All I'm confused about is why Blizzard agreed to a contract with Activison.
DreamingDarklyRobin's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:21
DreamingDarklyRobin
Goddammit I just bought DJ Hero 2 and it was awesome. Oh well.
OLD SCHOOL's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:21
OLD SCHOOL
CRAPTIVISION shot themselves in the foot when they lost the golden goose that was IW. Personal ego's and greed got in the way and now they have put TRYHARD in charge?! LMAO! RESPAWN is lurking in the shadows and will kill the COD monster they created...
GoodlyMike's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:21
GoodlyMike
I wonder if they are disbanding Bobby Kotick too.
DV2FOX's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:23
DV2FOX
RIP HERO GAMES...FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU-!,and DJ HERO was being the greatest shit ever,sides of also great ROCK BAND...
Juwaan Armstrong's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:25
Juwaan Armstrong
GO GRAB THE GOOD TONY HAWK GAMES NOW!

That means get a PS2.
cbarrentos's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:26
cbarrentos
good riddance to Guitar Hero. Activision's ceaseless milking of that franchise led to the over-saturation of the market, which lead to the sharp decline in sales, which lead to the decline in interest in music games, which lead to a decline in people for me to play RB3 online with!
LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO ME :(
 oMeGa 's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:26
oMeGa
I couldn't care less about GH, but I'm kind of disappointed about DJ Hero. I never got to play it, it seemed kind of neat. Plus, I was ever so slightly excited for the 3DS version.
KwikPwn's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:27
KwikPwn
Dumb-asses keep doing it to themselves.
Bob Muir's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:29
Bob Muir
About time. Guitar Hero needed killing years ago. A bit sad that DJ Hero was killed in the process though, since the sequel improved quite a bit.
Darren Nakamura's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:34
Darren Nakamura
So, the whole "exploit an IP on a yearly basis" thing didn't work out so well for Guitar Hero? Color me shocked.
dr spaceman's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:35
dr spaceman
COOL MORE COD!!!!
Rockefellow's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:36
Rockefellow
You know, I'm just as happy as anyone that Guitar Hero is dead, but you being a prick and saying there "may be a God" because dozens, if not more, people just got laid off is pretty fucking low.
Scissors's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:36
Scissors
If they can Tony Hawk I might be kinda sad. The last good Tony Hawk games were the ones for DS which were surprisingly really good. I hope they bring back the team that made the first three DS Tony Hawk games to make a 3DS game. I don't think THPS can still survive on consoles but I think if they stick to portables they'll be fine. Also it would be cool to see Spider-Man again.
Davebill's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:37
Davebill
No more DJ Hero makes me the saddest panda in the world :(
SirKerrald's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:39
SirKerrald
Not even a mention of new IP? Just more sequels to the shame shit I stopped buying. My money is going elsewhere.
Max-'s Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:41
Max-
Well, it's a relief to see my memories of GH won't be further raped. As for TC being cancelled and more cod...fuck you actiblizz.
Mrdraven's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:42
Mrdraven
I LOVE my music games but this does not sadden me one bit.

I've always felt the only real upper hand GH had on RB was more challenging song charts. The GH DLC rarely interested me AND was few and far between, not to mention my RB DLC has carried over disc-to-disc FROM THE FIRST GAME! I stopped buying GH games on release or even new when it was evident to me Harmonix made more fan-friendly efforts. I thought the DJ Hero series had potential, but they were doomed to fail under Activision's "guidance". I'm always sad to hear when devs are getting canned, but I will always go out of my way to support Activision as little as possible.
Syn's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:44
Syn
Both ActiBlizz and Harmonix suck ass at picking badass songs for me to get beat down by, so I'm not really hurt about the death of GH. I still have RB3 and Pro Guitar to entertain me.
PEICanada7's Avatar - Comment posted on 02/09/2011 16:46
PEICanada7
"No more DJ Hero makes me the saddest panda in the world"

I don't think they're saying GH, and DJ Hero will be gone forever. There's just no plans for them to come out in 2011, but who knows what they'll put out in 2012. Other sites are saying that those games and Tony Hawk are not coming out in 2011, but that doesn't mean that all three franchises are dead forever, like some people here are rejoicing over!
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