Activision CEO hints the Guitar Hero series could make a return in the future
by Danny Craig
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Activision
In a recent company meeting, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick reportedly suggested that Guitar Hero might return shortly.
The details:
- Kotick discussed the current state of Activision Blizzard in a recent company meeting with company employees (via Windows Central) ahead of Microsoft's impending acquisition of the publisher. According to reports, the executive discussed how Microsoft's technology research could aid in the company's future titles through the use of AI, machine learning, and analytics, stating that there is "unlimited potential" with the tech giant's assistance.
- Kotick went on to say that Activision now has the "very best franchises in all of video games," beginning with classics like Pitfall, River Raid, and Kaboom. He then went on to suggest that Guitar Hero might be returning soon, stating that the "re-emergence of Guitar Hero and other things would not be possible without the different types of resources.”
- Earlier this year, the CEO stated that he believes AI technology could be used to create a new entry in the Guitar Hero franchise, leading fans to believe that the company has been experimenting in some capacity. “I’ve always had this vision for what a new Guitar Hero product could be, but without having AI […] and then the processors embedded either in phones, in computers or in game consoles, that allow you to actually have the speed of processing to enable that AI, we’ve never been in a place where AI is going to have practical reality and applicability for games until now,” Kotick said.
- Even further back in January 2022, Kotick mentioned Guitar Hero alongside Skylanders in a discussion about which franchises he'd like to see return after a long hiatus if the Microsoft acquisition was to be successful.
More Activision Blizzard news:
- Call of Duty players have already encountered cheaters during the Modern Warfare III beta, which was available exclusively on PlayStation. Cheaters were thought to be using PS4 dev kits, as there is currently no public jailbreak firmware that allows players to connect to the PlayStation Network.
- Blizzard has announced that Overwatch 2 players who frequently leave games, even in unranked modes, will now be suspended for a short period. The majority of fans have reacted negatively to the change, with many claiming that the company is attempting to make the game less "fun" for the casual audience.