Every gamer who grew up with the PlayStation 2 or the Xbox 360 has fond memories of playing classic rock with overpriced plastic instruments. Guitar Hero (and Rock Band) became some of the most iconic games of the mid-2000s, bringing the excitement of a rock concert to our living rooms. Unfortunately, the fad of rhythm and band games has died down considerably with the advent of the “games as a service” model. It’s been nearly a decade since the release of the last Guitar Hero game. Is time running out for Guitar Hero, or are we closer than ever to the long-awaited reunion tour on the PS5 and Xbox Series X? As it turns out, we might soon see the return of a rock giant — at least, if modern gaming trends are to be trusted.
A Proved Success
Recently, Microsoft acquired Activision, Guitar Hero’s publisher. One of the biggest acquisitions in gaming history, this move would turn any future Guitar Hero games into Xbox first-party titles. Naturally, such a monumental purchase means Microsoft now must produce top-selling games from Activision — and relying solely on Call of Duty might not be viable.
When you consider that the franchise has sold over 25 million copies worldwide and has generated over $2 billion in revenue, it all makes perfect sense. Microsoft needs Guitar Hero. The franchise has (almost) always received praise, and releasing a new entry in a beloved franchise would be a step in the right direction for Microsoft — especially after the whole debacle with Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin.
More Rhythm Games Than Ever
Last year saw the return of Harmonix, Guitar Hero’s developer, in an unlikely venue. When you think of modern gaming, you think of Fortnite. Not everyone might like it, but Epic’s multiplayer experience has been the gold standard for modern gaming for a while — not necessarily in terms of gameplay, but as a business model. Remember when the plot for the last Star Wars movie was revealed in a Fortnite event? That’s how influential the game is.
Now, Fortnite is more than just a Battle Royale. This Chapter saw the game turning into an amalgamation of game modes — one of them being the popular Fortnite Festival mode. Here’s the kicker: Fortnite Festival is a Harmonix creation, the very same Harmonix behind the entire Guitar Hero franchise.
Fortnite Festival tries to recapture what we saw in Guitar Hero World Tour — a full band experience. That said, the game mode lacked something that made the Guitar Hero experience truly unique: a proprietary controller. Plastic guitars are as iconic to the music franchise as mats were to the whole Dance Dance Revolution fad. That, fortunately, changed this year.
The release of the PDP Riffmaster Guitar Controller marks the closest we’ve ever been to Guitar Hero‘s return. Now, armed with proper plastic guitars, the Fortnite generation finally has a taste of what we had in the glory days of Guitar Hero. The fact that Fortnite Festival is the second most popular new mode added to the Fortnite update is just the icing on the cake for rhythm game fans.
On the other hand, Harmonix’s involvement in Fortnite Festival might also spell grim news for Guitar Hero fans. It’s extremely likely that, even if a new Guitar Hero title is released on PS5 or Xbox Series X consoles, the series’ iconic developer might not be involved. At the moment, Activision holds the rights to Guitar Hero, so at least we know they’re part of Microsoft’s billionaire acquisition.
More Guitar Controllers
Let’s face it: the main draw of Guitar Hero has always been the guitar controllers. With the new PDP controller out in the open, fans of the classic game might remember why they fell in love with the franchise in the first place. Rock might not be as popular as it was a few years ago, but guitars are eternal — even if they’re made of plastic.
If Band Hero and even Fortnite Festival have taught us anything, it is that guitar controllers can be quite versatile. So what if a song doesn’t even have a guitar track? Players can use their controllers to play the lead, even if that part comes from a piano or a synth.
Guitar Hero controllers defined a generation of gamers. Whether you were more of an Explorer or Les Paul player, players formed a sentimental connection with these slabs of plastic — and it’s easy to see why. With both Xbox and PlayStation aiming to deliver more colour variety and personalization options in their controllers, now’s the time to shine for players who want customizable guitar controllers.
A few years back in 2019, Activision filed a patent for a “music based video game (that) provides a user directed sound generation feature.” While some fans believed this was a sign of Activision working on a new Guitar Hero title for the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, some Redditors noted the same patent was filed for the first time in 2008, and it was likely just Activision renewing the patent to hold the rights.
Live Service Domination
One practice that will remain controversial among fans is the rise of the so-called “live service” games, like Guitar Hero Live. These games offer developers the chance to monetize their games for longer, and it’s highly likely any new Guitar Hero title will have a “battle pass” of sorts. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those quirks of modern gaming that we must all learn to live with.
Gaming as a whole has changed, so it stands to reason that new Guitar Hero games would do so as well. Whether that’s in the form of downloadable song packs (which have always existed, to be fair) or season passes remains to be seen, but they will be there.
That said, as long as Activision understands what made Guitar Hero into a legendary series in the first place, chances are looking good for a revival. While many considered Guitar Hero a novelty title and a fad that faded very quickly, there are still many die-hard fans out there — and many more just waiting in anticipation for the announcement of a new game.
Can You Play Guitar Hero On PS5 Or Xbox Series X?
Guitar Hero isn’t playable on a PS5. The only Guitar Hero game released for PS4 was Guitar Hero Live, which had its servers shut down shortly after launch. This means the 2015 title is no longer playable unless you modify it for PC. As for earlier Guitar Hero games, they were only released for PS3 or older consoles, making them incompatible with the PS5’s backward compatibility feature. That said, playing Rock Band 4, along with all its downloadable content (DLC), is completely smooth without any complications.
The same goes for the Xbox Series X. The Guitar Hero games aren’t backwards compatible, either. Only Guitar Hero Live was sold on the Xbox One, and, unfortunately, there are currently no servers for the game. That said, some users have managed to play older Xbox 360 versions of the game using Xenia.
Tell us, would you like the Guitar Hero franchise to return on the PS5 and Xbox Series X?
