Activision axes Guitar Hero franchise, layoffs ensue [Update: Includes DJ Hero]

Thursday, 10 February 2011 00:10 Steven De Klerk

Update: Activision has confirmed that the DJ Hero franchise has also been affected, and will no longer be produced.

Original Story: Activision has decided that the instrument music game genre is dead, and has officially announced that they will be disbanding Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit, along with cancelling the Guitar Hero 2011 game.

The reason is simple business logic: sales have dropped significantly, and let's face it, they really milked it for all its worth.

Eurogamer is reporting that DJ Hero developer Freestyle Games, along with Vicarious Visions, have already seen "severe layoffs", with more likely to come in the wake of the news.

So no more Guitar Hero. A loss for the industry? Probably not, as I think we've had our fill. And there's still Rock Band... for now. Still, I don't think anyone will forget the impact of these games on the gaming industry, especially for casual gamers.

RIP Guitar Hero [and DJ Hero].