If the downfall of music games is indeed coming, then some rather unfortunate news may be adding credence to the ethos thereof.
Activision Blizzard has announced that Guitar Hero — as a series, not individual games themselves — is coming to an end as part of development cuts. At the same time, DJ Hero developer Freestyle Games is set to be hit with layoffs as well. The announcements include revelations of True Crime: Hong Kong and Tony Hawk games having been dropped as well, and follows upon the earlier news of Rock Band publisher MTV Games’ shutdown.
The reports — which come as part of financials ending fiscal 2011 — state that “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 says the cuts “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.”
Update Feb. 10, 2011: Activision has also revealed that after the currently pending February deliveries thereof, no further DLC will be released for either Guitar Hero or DJ Hero.
