In arecent internal interview, bizarrely conducted by James Corden,Activision BlizzardCEO Bobby Kotick said that the company is working to revive the long-dormantGuitar Heroseries.
“The re-emergence of Guitar Hero and other things would not be possible without the different types of resources," Kotick said, in reference to the potential for Activision franchises underMicrosoft’s stewardship post-merger. “And so, the endless possibilities for that future are just incredibly exciting."
Kotick also talked about the potential for using AI in a new Guitar Hero, which is either a) fine, because video games have used artificial intelligence to direct enemy behavior for a long time, or b) a stupid idea if he’s referring to generative AI. Whatever a new Guitar Hero ends up looking like, Kotick’s comments have me thinking about whether or not I still have room for the series I used to love.
When I consider whether or not I have the space for most games, I’m usually thinking about time or the available gigs on my hard drive. I don’t have room for a game likeAssassin’s Creed Valhallain my life anymore because it’s too long. I don’t have room for the nextCall of Dutybecause it takes up all the space on my PS5. And I droppedStarfieldafter several hours because it was taking up both. But, when I wonder whether I have space for Guitar Hero, I mean it literally.
It’s been eight years since the last Guitar Hero, and significantly longer than that since I last played the series. While the only proper Guitar Hero game I ever got into was 2007’s Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock on PS3, it was the gateway plastic instrument game that led to all sorts of clutter. Of course, there was 2007’sRock Band, which I played a ton both with friends and by myself, running the microphone cord over a stationary ceiling fan blade so I could shred on guitar and sing at the same time like a true rock star. I did the same with Activision’s answer to Rock Band, Band Hero, when it launched in 2009, plus Beatles Rock Band and Green Day Rock Band. And my friends and I had freestyle sessions with the USB mic that shipped with Rap Star.
My life looks a whole lot different now than it did then. From 2008-2012, I constantly had friends over at my parents' house. Our basketball practice often didn’t start until later in the evening, and I lived the closest to the school, so we killed a lot of time playing games in the basement. In 2023, I don’t regularly have three friends over. I can’t just get a band together at the drop of a (Slash’s top) hat.
But, the more important factor is where I live. In 2009, my parents might have gotten annoyed at having to store a bunch of plastic instruments, but they had more than enough room. In 2023, I barely have room for the things that I strictly need. Going from living in a decent-sized house with my parents to living in a one bedroom apartment with my wife has drastically changed my understanding of how I can relate to a game like Guitar Hero. I suspect the same is true for many of thirtysomethings who were teens when Guitar Hero was at its peak.
That doesn’t mean I don’t want Activision to bring the series back. I would love to see if 29-year-old me can keep up with 16-year-old me on “Through the Fire and the Flames.” But if the genre takes off again, I may just need to spring for a second storage unit.
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