‘Guitar Hero’ Back? Lost PlayStation 2 Hit Could Return

The dream of many veteran gamers in the video game universe is to see some of the most successful old titles being adapted for the most current consoles, with possible improvements and innovations.

Although this is happening with several productions, others of equivalent fame seem forgotten, but still kept in the hearts and expectations of the public.

This is exactly the situation with the iconic “Guitar Hero“, the game developed by Harmonix in 2005 that achieved great success on the PlayStation 2. Considered a gaming classic, it revolutionized the industry by introducing an innovative game mechanic, allowing players to hit guitar notes in Rock N’ Roll classics.

Despite all its popularity, it is difficult for the public to understand why it has been forgotten. However, excitement has recently resurfaced, and the possibility of a new title for the franchise no longer seems as distant as it once did.

Why did ‘Guitar Hero’ disappear?

Photo: Activion Blizzard/Reproduction

With a simple and intuitive aesthetic, the “Guitar Hero” franchise has remained at its peak since its first success, resulting in twelve games consecutive in the main series. The last of them, titled “Guitar Hero Live”, was released in 2015.

Furthermore, it was this series of games that provided a huge perspective on the market, uniting music with consoles and inspiring countless releases from different producers. The franchise went through several changes in producers and companies, resulting in a lack of innovation in the game.

Strong competition, such as the emergence of “Rock Band” with new gameplay options, contributed to “Guitar Hero” being partially forgotten. However, the most ardent fans of the franchise still maintain a hopeful attitude, especially after the acquisition of Harmonix, which also worked on “Rock Band”, by Epic Games.

A new hope for the classic

The height of players’ hopes came with the recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the leading producer in the game’s history, by Microsoft, owner of Xbox.

This comes as Activision CEO Bobb Kotick released information about the exchanges between him and Phil Spencer, the current head and CEO of Xbox. In the statement, Kotick says:

“Phil and I started discussing some ideas for the future. […] I had been looking forward to creating a new “Guitar Hero” for some time and had a very exciting vision for what we could deliver in this new edition. However, I soon realized that we didn’t have the resources to make this vision a reality.”

This just reaffirms the idea that the game’s original producers haven’t forgotten about it, and could make the dream of many fans who loved using their plastic guitars to experience a real star of Rock.