14 DAY TRIAL // Publisher Activision Blizzard has revealed that it will not be launching any Guitar Hero powered music simulation title during 2011 and that it was disbanding the business unit linked to the franchise, while at the same time ending development of the open-world game True Crime: Honk Kong, which was being handled by United Front Games.
Guitar Hero, who's last installment is Warriors of Rock, has long been in decline, together with the entire music simulation genre, but Activision initially seemed determined to push on with the franchise although on smaller scale.
For True Crime: Honk Kong trouble began in the middle of 2010, when the launch date for the game was pushed back from fall 2010 to 2011, with Activision saying that the project was suffering from quality issues.
These two moves will result in about 500 people losing their jobs.
A statement from the publisher says, “These decisions 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.”
Activision already has some ideas about how it can employ its freed resources in more profitable ways.
Apparently, the focus will move to online gaming, which is a growing sector all over the world, and at least one new initiative, to be unveiled at the Toy Fair, will see Activision link toys, video game and social networks in a new and supposedly innovative way.
The big push for online will be done under the umbrella of the Call of Duty brand, the most successful that Activision Blizzard has at the moment, with a new studio, called Beachhead charged with creating an online infrastructure that some speculate could be similar to the Battle.net from Blizzard.
Activision has not said who will be handling the development duties for the regular installment in the Call of Duty series that will arrive in the autumn of this year.