Rock Band will continue to rock

Rock Band developer Harmonix has issued a statement regarding yesterday's announcement from Activision Blizzard that the Guitar Hero franchise will be discontinued.

"Our thoughts are with those who are losing their jobs, and we wish them the best of luck," wrote Harmonix developer John Drake in the official Rock Band forum. "The discontinuation of Guitar Hero is discouraging news for fans of the band game genre."

It's believed that job losses in the region of 500 are in order following Activision Blizzard's announcement, which cited considerably dwindling sales for the axing of Guitar Hero. But according to Drake, Harmonix's Rock Band franchise - the former direct competitor to Guitar Hero - will continue to move forward.

"As retail sales of Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles have slowed with time, we've been focused on building a robust digital platform for music gaming and have recently crested 2500 songs available for play within Rock Band 3. In short, the beat of Rock Band marches on. We're continuing to invest in the franchise and the brand that we have built, and will do our best to serve all loyal band fans."

But Drake's sentiments weren't without an attempt to entice Guitar Hero loyalists over to the realm of Rock Band. "For rhythm gamers out there who haven't yet given Rock Band a chance, Rock Band 3 software is compatible with a wide range of instruments, including most Guitar Hero controllers," he wrote, before paying respect to the Guitar Hero team one last time. "It's been a wild battle of the bands since 2007, but we respect and appreciate all of the hard work and innovation of our peers who have shared the music gaming space with us, and we look forward to rocking in the future."