Developers and competitors offer up information and condolences.
Yesterday, we reported on Activision’s announcement that they will be canceling the development of future Guitar Hero games. Today, the DJ Hero website offers some more information on the subject: in addition to the Guitar Hero series, the DJ Hero offshoot series will be canceled as well. DLC for both series will continue to be released through the end of the month, but the series will not be supported after that.
John Drake, who works for Rock Band developers Harmonix, posted on the official Rock Band forums commenting on the subject. He notes that the series’s cancellation is “discouraging” for the genre as a whole, and offers condolences for those now out of work, but acknowledged that Harmonix will continue to support their Rock Band series as strongly as they always have, noting the imminent relaunch of the Rock Band Network with keys, harmonies and more.
I can’t help but wonder how Rock Band’s sales will be affected by the disappearance of their only major competitor. I’m not worried about the company getting complacent, but perhaps big Guitar Hero fans will flock to the next major Rock Band title?
Honestly, with GH getting the axe, can Rock Band really be that far behind? They haven't been selling any more copies than the Guitar Hero franchise has. In fact, if I recall correctly, most of their games sold worse. I wouldn't be surprised if we see one more game from them, trying to capitalize on the loss of their main competitor. But once that one sells just as poorly as all the others, I don't know what will happen. The future of the music genre is grim indeed.