During the ongoing GDC conference, Electronic Arts announced that it would be publishing Guitar Hero creator Harmonix’s next game. Currently, information about the game itself has not been revealed or its intended target platforms. It’s safe to assume that the game will be another rhythm music game, based on Harmonix’s track record and EA’s intention of entering the genre. (EA is also publishing Bizarre Creation’s Boom Boom Rocket.) In previous press releases following Harmonix being dropped from development of Guitar Hero III, it had mentioned development of another music-based game project.
Back in May 2006, Activision announced its acquisition of Red Octane, publisher and owner of the Guitar Hero franchise, for over $100 million. Four months later, MTV announced its acquisition of Harmonix for $175 million. In the months following Guitar Hero II‘s release, Harmonix was dropped in favor of Activision’s internal studio and Tony Hawk developer Neversoft as developer of Guitar Hero III.
Guitar Hero II will be released later this month for the Xbox 360 and will contain extra tracks, including Iron Maiden’s "The Trooper," Pearl Jam’s "Life Wasted," and Deep Purple’s "Hush".
