14 DAY TRIAL // The internal memo has been acquired by website Giant Bomb via unspecified means and it is titled “Isn’t Call of Duty today just like Guitar Hero was a few years back?” and was written by Eric Hirshberg, one of the executives at Activision.
The tone of the e-mail is upbeat, talking about how the video game publisher can make sure that the issues which brought Guitar Hero down as a franchise will not also affect Call of Duty.
The e-mail reads: “there are several key differences between the two franchises worth considering. Guitar Hero quickly reached incredible heights, but then began a steady decline. Call of Duty, on the other hand, has steadily grown every single year of its seven-year existence.”
He adds, “Guitar Hero, was a new genre which had incredible appeal, but which had not stood the test of time. Call of Duty exists in a genre–first person shooters–that has shown remarkable staying power and wide appeal over a period of decades. Plus, Call of Duty has inspired a massive, persistent, online community of players, making it perhaps the ‘stickiest’ game of all time.”
Hirshberg goes on to say that the entire company needs to focus on delivering quality video games in the Call of Duty space, while continuing to innovate and find a way to add an online community which keeps fans involved in the long term.
The e-mail seems to add to the pile of evidence that suggest a hybrid mixing first-person shooter mechanics and elements from MMO games is in the works at Activision and might be unveiled officially soon.
Guitar Hero was one of the biggest products from Activision in its boom years, but the music game space has shrunk significantly and the company has said that it will not be launching any game in the franchise this year.
A new Call of Duty is being planned for the fall of the year.