Guitar Hero Retires, Zelda Fans Should Learn Something

Activision Blizzard revealed a few days ago that the popular Guitar Hero brand is going to be discontinued after declining sales in recent years. The change comes alongside a number of other restructuring measures being taken at the company, including the all-too-common layoffs and budget cuts that have been the bane of countless industries since the economic crash of 2007 and 2008. Even if you weren’t ever really a fan, there’s something to be learned from Guitar Hero‘s history that’s especially important to Zelda fans who just can’t wait for Skyward Sword.

Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games, the creators of Unreal and Gears of War, had this to say about the series’ end: “You can have an IP that you lovingly care for and release every so often that can last forever, or one you ride hard into the ground.” And it’s something that really hits home for Guitar Hero, which saw more than half a dozen games release in 2009 alone – far, far above the typical average for video game franchises. With that many games per year, it’s no wonder the series got old fast.

As Zelda fans, we should remember that just because the games don’t come as fast as we’d be willing to drop the cash for them, we shouldn’t consider the developers as lazy. It means that the creators are giving each game its due care and attention rather than scrambling to make a quick buck and selling out. I’ve been really impressed with our following’s reactions to the announcement that Skyward Sword won’t be coming until after Ocarina of Time 3D, so I’m pretty confident I’m preaching to the choir here, but this message is really for the odd one out of you who still can’t understand the delay.

Source: GoNintendo, StrategyInformer