The rhythm games scene has been quite quiet for years, largely as players have shifted away from owning and using physical peripherals that take these titles to the next level. It has been years since a new Guitar Hero or Rock Band arrived, and we're desperate for more, which is what makes the founding of RedOctane Games all the more exciting.
This is a developer that is made up of several rhythm game veterans from the Guitar Hero franchise. The studio is being headed up by former Neversoft production director Simon Ebejer, while it's supported by Charles and Kai Huang, two of the original Guitar Hero founders. Otherwise, we can expect a melting pot of developers that includes "exceptional new-generation developers, creators, and community leaders from the global rhythm gaming scene," all while the studio takes a community-built development approach too.
In terms of the game that RedOctane is making, we don't yet have anything firm to go on. In an accompanying blog post, we're told: "This game won't be Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Guitar Freaks or Rockband. This is something new. A rhythm game built with love, by people who care, with the community at its core in this fast-changing modern world we live in. We firmly believe the expert here is the community and a new generation of development talent, the folks that have kept the lights on these last few years."
We will get to meet this project as soon as later this year, as it has only just entered into production. It's unclear if it will be supported by a physical array of peripherals, but if that is the case, this team is backed by many names who have experience making such products in the past for Guitar Hero and such.