New 'Guitar Hero' Game Could Be in the Works

Guitar Hero could be making a comeback as part of Microsoft‘s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King.

According to reports, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick hinted at the game’s return during a town hall meeting with Activision-Blizzard employees. He touched on what gaming could look in the next 10 years as he looked back on Activision’s back catalog comprised of the likes of Pitfall, River Raids, Kaboom! and Guitar Hero, ”The re-emergence of Guitar Hero and other things would not be possible without the different types of resources. And so, you know, just the endless possibilities for the future that are just incredibly exciting.”

One of the other points of discussions was the advancements in technology and how the likes of Elon Musk’s Neuralink and VR could change the gaming industry alongside the efforts of Microsoft Research. “I talked a little earlier about the physical experience of interacting with something on screen. I think you’ll see things like Neuralink — you’ll actually be able to interact with things on the screen, where there isn’t a controller,” he said, adding that it could involve physical parts like an earpiece or headset.

“A big part of what I’ve seen in Microsoft is research. And they do development in areas that are extraordinary. And so being able to tap into their AI and machine learning capability, the data analytics, new ways of thinking about graphics — I just see unlimited potential for what we do,” Kotick shared. “We’re uniquely situated as a company because we have the very best franchises in all of video games.”

The acquisition is valued at $72 billion USD and is expected to close as early as October 13, with UK regulatory approval.

Elsewhere in gaming, Sony has revealed the PlayStation 5 Slim.