The big publisher has swung the axe at its two IPs: Guitar Hero and True Crime: Hong Kong. Activision has decided to disband its Guitar Hero business unit and cancel development of its yearly iteration citing “continued declines in the music genre.” United Front Games released a statement on its website saying, “We are sorry we did not get a chance to complete this project with Activision, but we understand why.”
Development teams that were focusing on music intellectual properties for Activision were reportedly hit with layoffs, apparently up to 500. Sources at Eurogamer state that among the studios hit include FreeStyleGames [DJ Hero franchise] and Vicarious Visions [Guitar Hero].
Other properties such as Tony Hawk and further music titles will not be releasing this year. According to Game Informer, the publisher is switching efforts to its three key brands: Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Starcraft. Diablo III was not among those listed.
Trevor Stamp
February 9, 2011 at 5:11 pm
It is really sad to hear that some many people have lost their jobs.
William Saw
February 9, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Activision does itself no favors by continuing to exploit franchises.
mike
February 23, 2011 at 3:53 pm
your sympathy is heartfelt
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