<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
is	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
music	B-Application
rhythm	O
game	O
video	O
games	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
2005	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
use	O
a	O
guitar-shaped	O
game	B-Device
controller	I-Device
to	O
simulate	O
playing	O
primarily	O
lead	O
,	O
bass	O
guitar	O
,	O
and	O
rhythm	O
guitar	O
across	O
numerous	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
match	O
notes	O
that	O
scroll	O
on-screen	O
to	O
colored	O
fret	O
buttons	O
on	O
the	O
controller	O
,	O
strumming	O
the	O
controller	O
in	O
time	O
to	O
the	O
music	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
score	O
points	O
,	O
and	O
keep	O
the	O
virtual	O
audience	O
excited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
includes	O
support	O
for	O
a	O
four-player	O
band	O
including	O
vocals	O
and	O
drums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
initially	O
used	O
mostly	O
cover	O
versions	O
of	O
songs	O
created	O
by	O
WaveGroup	B-Application
Sound	I-Application
,	O
but	O
most	O
recent	O
titles	O
feature	O
soundtracks	O
that	O
are	O
fully	O
master	O
recordings	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
special	O
re-recordings	O
,	O
of	O
the	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
titles	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
feature	O
support	O
for	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
new	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
RedOctane	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
specializing	O
in	O
the	O
manufacture	O
of	O
unique	O
game	B-Device
controllers	I-Device
,	O
was	O
inspired	O
to	O
create	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
based	O
on	O
RedOctane	O
's	O
experience	O
creating	O
hardware	O
for	O
Konami	O
's	O
Guitar	B-Application
Freaks	I-Application
arcade	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
enlisted	O
Harmonix	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
developed	O
several	O
music	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
for	O
development	O
assistance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harmonix	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
MTV	O
Games	O
and	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
series	O
of	O
music	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
the	O
same	O
vein	O
as	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
has	O
twenty	O
five	O
releases	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
two	O
spin-offs	O
,	O
the	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	O
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
franchise	O
was	O
a	O
primary	O
brand	O
during	O
the	O
emergence	O
of	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
rhythm	O
games	O
as	O
a	O
cultural	O
phenomenon	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
claimed	O
in	O
2009	O
that	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
franchise	O
was	O
the	O
3rd	O
largest	O
game	O
franchise	O
after	O
the	O
Mario	B-Application
and	O
Madden	O
NFL	O
franchises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
also	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
third	O
main	O
title	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
single	O
video	O
game	O
title	O
to	O
exceed	O
$1	O
billion	O
in	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
later	O
shut	O
down	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
,	O
although	O
users	O
who	O
purchased	O
material	O
from	O
it	O
previously	O
may	O
still	O
play	O
what	O
they	O
bought	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Live	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2015	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
new	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
in	O
five	O
years	O
,	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
reboot	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
and	O
developed	O
by	O
FreeStyleGames	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
developed	O
the	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
a	O
lukewarm	O
reception	O
and	O
sales	O
,	O
Activision	O
laid	O
off	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
developers	O
and	O
sold	O
the	O
studio	O
to	O
Ubisoft	O
,	O
later	O
shutting	O
down	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
streaming	O
DLC	B-Protocol
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
created	O
from	O
a	O
partnership	O
between	O
RedOctane	O
,	O
then	O
their	O
own	O
company	O
that	O
produced	O
specialized	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
controllers	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Harmonix	O
,	O
a	O
music	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
development	O
company	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
produced	O
Frequency	B-Application
,	O
Amplitude	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Karaoke	B-Application
Revolution	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
RedOctane	O
was	O
seeking	O
to	O
bring	O
in	O
a	O
Guitar	O
Freaks-like	O
game	O
,	O
highly	O
popular	O
in	O
Japan	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
into	O
Western	O
markets	O
,	O
and	O
approached	O
Harmonix	O
about	O
helping	O
them	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
music	B-Application
game	I-Application
involving	O
a	O
guitar	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
companies	O
agreed	O
to	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
produce	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
was	O
highly	O
successful	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
its	O
successful	O
sequel	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
original	O
controllers	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
game	O
were	O
designed	O
by	O
Ryan	O
Lesser	O
,	O
Rob	O
Kay	O
,	O
Greg	O
LoPiccolo	O
,	O
and	O
Alex	O
Rigopulous	O
of	O
Harmonix	O
and	O
built	O
by	O
the	O
Honeybee	O
Corporation	O
of	O
China	O
,	O
subsequent	O
iterations	O
and	O
future	O
controllers	O
were	O
developed	O
inhouse	O
at	O
RedOctane	O
,	O
with	O
development	O
led	O
primarily	O
by	O
Jack	O
McCauley	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RedOctane	O
was	O
bought	O
by	O
Activision	O
in	O
June	O
—	O
who	O
spent	O
US$100	O
million	O
to	O
acquire	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
franchise	O
—	O
while	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
October	O
that	O
Harmonix	O
would	O
be	O
purchased	O
by	O
MTV	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
purchases	O
,	O
Harmonix	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
develop	O
future	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Neversoft	O
was	O
chosen	O
to	O
helm	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
after	O
Neversoft	O
founder	O
,	O
Joel	O
Jewett	O
,	O
admitted	O
to	O
the	O
RedOctane	O
founders	O
,	O
Kai	O
and	O
Charles	O
Huang	O
,	O
that	O
his	O
development	O
team	O
for	O
Tony	B-Application
Hawk	I-Application
's	I-Application
Project	I-Application
8	I-Application
went	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
weekends	O
just	O
to	O
play	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Activision	O
began	O
seeking	O
other	O
markets	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
a	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
,	O
while	O
a	O
Guitar	B-Language
Hero	I-Language
Mobile	I-Language
series	I-Language
was	O
created	O
for	O
mobile	O
phones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
began	O
considering	O
the	O
expansion	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
band-specific	O
titles	O
with	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
in	O
November	O
2008	O
,	O
Activision	O
acquired	O
Budcat	O
Creations	O
,	O
another	O
development	O
studio	O
that	O
had	O
helped	O
with	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
versions	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
announcing	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
helping	O
to	O
develop	O
another	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
Harmonix	O
and	O
MTV	O
Games	O
released	O
a	O
new	O
music	B-Application
title	O
through	O
rival	O
publisher	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
,	O
called	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
expanded	O
upon	O
the	O
gameplay	O
popularized	O
by	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
by	O
adding	O
drum	O
and	O
microphone	B-Application
instruments	O
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
simulate	O
playing	O
songs	O
as	O
bands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
followed	O
suit	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
,	O
which	O
supported	O
multiple	O
instruments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
Activision	O
tripled	O
its	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
offerings	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
further	O
continuation	O
of	O
the	O
existing	O
main	O
series	O
with	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
and	O
expansions	O
,	O
they	O
introduced	O
the	O
titles	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
geared	O
towards	O
more	O
family-friendly	O
pop	O
music	B-Application
,	O
and	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
a	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
turntablism	O
and	O
featuring	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
mixes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
Activision	O
considered	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
have	O
moved	O
away	O
from	O
its	O
heavy	O
metal	O
basis	O
into	O
a	O
broader	O
selection	O
of	O
music	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
new	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
logo	O
;	O
previous	O
games	O
used	O
a	O
logo	O
in	O
a	O
font	O
with	O
sharper	O
"	O
points	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
letters	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
considered	O
"	O
idiosyncratic	O
with	O
a	O
vengeance	O
"	O
to	O
match	O
the	O
games	O
 '	O
emphasis	O
on	O
heavy	O
metal	O
music	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pentagram	O
developed	O
a	O
new	O
font	O
,	O
removing	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
aggressive	O
odd	O
"	O
features	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
typeface	O
more	O
suitable	O
and	O
amendable	O
to	O
design	O
feature	O
incorporation	O
to	O
other	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
results	O
of	O
the	O
expanded	O
offerings	O
did	O
not	O
contribute	O
well	O
to	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
alongside	O
the	O
late-2000s	O
recession	O
;	O
sales	O
of	O
most	O
rhythm	O
games	O
including	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
did	O
not	O
meet	O
expectations	O
,	O
falling	O
about	O
50%	O
short	O
of	O
projected	O
targets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
RedOctane	O
and	O
Neversoft	O
continued	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
6th	O
main	O
game	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warriors	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
until	O
its	O
completion	O
,	O
both	O
studios	O
were	O
later	O
shuttered	O
by	O
Activision	O
,	O
moving	O
key	O
personnel	O
into	O
Activision	O
directly	O
for	O
future	O
game	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
Neversoft	O
,	O
closing	O
its	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
division	O
,	O
while	O
transferring	O
future	O
development	O
duties	O
for	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
,	O
another	O
Activision	O
studio	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
fundamental	O
in	O
building	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
versions	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
Activision	O
also	O
closed	O
Budcat	O
Creations	O
,	O
the	O
arm	O
of	O
the	O
publisher	O
that	O
was	O
primarily	O
responsible	O
for	O
porting	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ahead	O
of	O
Activision	O
's	O
2010	O
fourth	O
quarter	O
financial	O
report	O
in	O
February	O
2011	O
,	O
Activision	O
disbanded	O
its	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
business	O
unit	O
and	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
cease	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
planned	O
2011	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
cited	O
"	O
continued	O
declines	O
in	O
the	O
music	B-Application
genre	O
"	O
to	O
explain	O
its	O
decision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
closure	O
also	O
affected	O
the	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	O
,	O
as	O
Activision	O
stated	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
no	O
plans	O
to	O
publish	O
a	O
music	B-Application
game	I-Application
during	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
's	O
vice	O
president	O
Dan	O
Winters	O
later	O
clarified	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
"	O
just	O
putting	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
on	O
hiatus	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
"	O
just	O
not	O
making	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
for	O
next	O
year	O
,	O
that	O
's	O
all	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
July	O
2011	O
interview	O
with	O
Forbes	O
,	O
Kotick	O
stated	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
publisher	O
was	O
"	O
going	O
to	O
stop	O
selling	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
altogether	O
"	O
,	O
they	O
were	O
"	O
going	O
to	O
go	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
studios	O
and	O
we	O
’re	O
going	O
to	O
use	O
new	O
studios	O
and	O
reinvent	O
"	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
but	O
a	O
former	O
teammember	O
of	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
stated	O
that	O
as	O
of	O
2012	O
,	O
all	O
development	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
had	O
come	O
to	O
an	O
end	O
within	O
Activision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
source	O
close	O
to	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
had	O
reported	O
to	O
Kotaku	O
that	O
while	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
7	I-Application
was	O
in	O
development	O
under	O
an	O
Activision	O
studio	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
considered	O
a	O
"	O
disaster	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
had	O
also	O
started	O
the	O
game	O
development	O
from	O
scratch	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
create	O
new	O
characters	O
and	O
venues	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
more	O
reactive	O
to	O
the	O
actual	O
songs	O
being	O
played	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
feel	O
of	O
a	O
music	B-Application
video	O
,	O
but	O
ultimately	O
this	O
proved	O
too	O
much	O
of	O
a	O
challenge	O
and	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
scrapped	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
limited	O
budget	O
,	O
the	O
song	O
selection	O
was	O
limited	O
to	O
"	O
low-budget	O
"	O
hits	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
or	O
at	O
times	O
reusing	O
songs	O
that	O
had	O
previously	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
potential	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
project	O
was	O
discovered	O
by	O
the	O
archival	O
site	O
Unseen64	O
for	O
a	O
game	O
titled	O
Hero	O
World	O
,	O
a	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
that	O
would	O
link	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
had	O
been	O
developed	O
by	O
FreeStyleGames	O
,	O
sometime	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
main	O
development	O
duties	O
passed	O
to	O
Virtual	O
Fairground	O
,	O
using	O
their	O
platform	O
The	O
Ride	O
,	O
an	O
Adobe	O
Flash-based	O
platform	O
that	O
would	O
let	O
the	O
game	O
be	O
played	O
in	O
a	O
web	O
browser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
cancelled	O
in	O
2011	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
pending	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
further	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
for	O
either	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
or	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
made	O
after	O
February	O
2011	O
,	O
though	O
Activision	O
committed	O
to	O
releasing	O
content	O
that	O
was	O
already	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
that	O
time	O
due	O
to	O
fan	O
response	O
;	O
later	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
move	O
described	O
by	O
Game	O
Informer	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
final	O
nail	O
in	O
[	O
the	O
series' ]	O
coffins	O
"	O
,	O
Activision	O
announced	O
it	O
would	O
discontinue	O
all	O
DLC	B-Protocol
sales	O
for	O
the	O
series	O
without	O
revoking	O
access	O
to	O
tracks	O
already	O
bought	O
as	O
of	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
Activision	O
had	O
moved	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
the	O
lessons	O
learned	O
helped	O
them	O
and	O
developer	O
Toys	O
for	O
Bob	O
to	O
handle	O
the	O
manufacturing	O
and	O
outsourcing	O
issues	O
that	O
came	O
with	O
the	O
highly	O
successful	O
Skylanders	O
toy	O
and	O
video	O
game	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
Activision	O
announced	O
a	O
new	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
titled	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Live	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Activision	O
's	O
internal	O
studio	O
FreeStyleGames	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
spinoff	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FreeStyleGames	O
were	O
given	O
free	O
rein	O
to	O
reboot	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
for	O
next-generation	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Live	I-Application
was	O
released	O
with	O
both	O
a	O
career	O
and	O
an	O
online	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
online	O
mode	O
,	O
called	O
GHTV	O
,	O
discarded	O
the	O
previous	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
approach	O
and	O
used	O
a	O
music	B-Application
video	O
channel	O
approach	O
to	O
stream	O
playable	O
songs	O
to	O
players	O
,	O
adding	O
new	O
songs	O
to	O
the	O
catalog	O
on	O
a	O
weekly	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
praised	O
as	O
a	O
reinvention	O
of	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
did	O
not	O
sell	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Activision	O
expected	O
;	O
due	O
to	O
lowered	O
forecasts	O
,	O
Activision	O
let	O
go	O
of	O
about	O
half	O
of	O
FreeStyleGames	O
 '	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
online	O
servers	O
for	O
all	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
were	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
PS3	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
this	O
and	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
online	O
servers	O
for	O
all	O
games	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
now	O
only	O
playable	O
online	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
November	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
is	I-Application
notable	O
because	O
it	O
comes	O
packaged	O
with	O
a	O
controller	O
peripheral	O
modeled	O
after	O
a	O
black	O
Gibson	O
SG	O
guitar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rather	O
than	O
a	O
typical	O
gamepad	B-Device
,	O
this	O
guitar	O
controller	O
is	O
the	O
primary	O
input	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
Konami	O
's	O
Guitar	B-Application
Freaks	I-Application
video	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
had	O
not	O
seen	O
much	O
exposure	O
in	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
market	O
;	O
RedOctane	O
,	O
already	O
selling	O
guitar-shaped	O
controllers	O
for	O
imported	O
copies	O
of	O
GuitarFreaks	B-Application
,	O
approached	O
Harmonix	O
about	O
creating	O
a	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
entirely	O
new	O
Guitar	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
was	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
gameplay	O
of	O
Amplitude	B-Application
with	O
the	O
visuals	O
of	O
Karaoke	B-Application
Revolution	I-Application
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
developed	O
by	O
Harmonix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
has	O
sold	O
nearly	O
1.5	O
million	O
copies	O
to	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
increased	O
dramatically	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
offered	O
both	O
separately	O
and	O
in	O
a	O
bundle	O
with	O
a	O
cherry	O
red	O
Gibson	B-Application
SG	I-Application
guitar	I-Application
controller	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
April	O
2007	O
with	O
an	O
exclusive	O
Gibson	O
Explorer	O
guitar	O
controller	O
and	O
an	O
additional	O
10	O
songs	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
About	O
3	O
million	O
units	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
have	O
sold	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
late	O
2007	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
includes	O
Slash	O
and	O
Tom	O
Morello	O
as	O
playable	O
characters	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
existing	O
fictional	O
avatars	B-Application
;	O
both	O
guitarists	O
performed	O
motion	O
capture	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
their	O
characters	O
 '	O
animation	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
previously	O
named	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
is	O
the	O
fourth	O
full	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
26	O
,	O
2008	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Analysts	O
had	O
expected	O
that	O
future	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
in	O
2008	O
would	O
include	O
additional	O
instrument	O
peripherals	O
to	O
compete	O
against	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
;	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
was	O
confirmed	O
as	O
in	O
development	O
following	O
the	O
announcement	O
of	O
the	O
merger	O
between	O
Activision	O
and	O
Vivendi	O
Games	O
in	O
December	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
's	O
CEO	O
Bobby	O
Kotick	O
announced	O
on	O
April	O
21	O
,	O
2008	O
that	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
will	O
branch	O
out	O
into	O
other	O
instruments	O
including	O
vocals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
includes	O
drums	O
and	O
vocals	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
bought	O
packaged	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
drum	O
set	O
controller	O
,	O
a	O
microphone	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
standard	O
guitar	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
also	O
features	O
custom	O
song	O
creation	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
shared	O
with	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
the	O
fifth	O
main	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
was	O
confirmed	O
in	O
December	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warriors	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
the	O
sixth	O
main	O
console	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
28	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
last	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
developed	O
by	O
Neversoft	O
's	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
division	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
dissolution	O
,	O
with	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
assisting	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
with	O
added	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
returning	O
to	O
the	O
roots	O
of	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
;	O
while	O
it	O
still	O
allows	O
for	O
full	O
band	O
play	O
,	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
's	O
focus	O
is	O
on	O
rock	O
and	O
roll	O
music	B-Application
and	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
guitar	O
"	O
shredding	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
introduced	O
a	O
career-based	O
"	O
Quest	O
Mode	O
"	O
,	O
narrated	O
by	O
Gene	O
Simmons	O
,	O
that	O
guides	O
the	O
players	O
to	O
complete	O
songs	O
to	O
unlock	O
"	O
warriors	B-Application
of	I-Application
rock	I-Application
"	O
to	O
join	O
them	O
in	O
saving	O
"	O
demigod	O
of	O
rock	O
"	O
and	O
his	O
guitar	O
from	O
his	O
imprisonment	O
by	O
"	O
the	O
Beast	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
a	O
five-year	O
hiatus	O
,	O
as	O
described	O
below	O
,	O
Activision	O
announced	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Live	I-Application
for	O
release	O
in	O
late	O
2015	O
on	O
most	O
seventh-generation	O
and	O
eighth-generation	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Encore	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rocks	I-Application
the	I-Application
80s	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2007	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
final	O
game	O
Harmonix	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
small	O
selection	O
of	O
songs	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
one	O
case	O
compared	O
unfavorably	O
to	O
Lou	B-Application
Reed	O
's	O
album	O
Metal	O
Machine	O
Music	B-Application
for	O
allegedly	O
being	O
a	O
mere	O
contractual	O
obligation	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
game	O
to	O
center	O
on	O
one	O
specific	O
artist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
Billboard	O
announced	O
that	O
Aerosmith	B-Application
was	O
"	O
working	O
closely	O
with	O
the	O
makers	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
IV	I-Application
"	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
"	O
dedicated	O
to	O
the	O
group	O
's	O
music	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
15	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Activision	O
announced	O
that	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
29	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Neversoft	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
versions	O
,	O
by	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
by	O
Budcat	O
Creations	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
setlist	O
is	O
mostly	O
Aerosmith	B-Application
songs	O
,	O
with	O
other	O
songs	O
from	O
Joe	O
Perrys	O
solo	O
work	O
or	O
artists	O
that	O
have	O
inspired	O
or	O
performed	O
with	O
Aerosmith	B-Application
,	O
including	O
Run-DMC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Metallica	I-Application
,	O
the	O
next	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
center	O
on	O
one	O
artist	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
full	O
band	O
experience	O
of	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
and	O
educates	O
players	O
on	O
Metallica	B-Application
's	O
history	O
and	O
music	B-Application
in	O
the	O
same	O
manner	O
as	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
did	O
for	O
Aerosmith	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Smash	I-Application
Hits	I-Application
(	O
titled	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Greatest	I-Application
Hits	I-Application
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
Australia	O
)	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
features	O
full-band	O
versions	O
of	O
48	O
songs	O
from	O
earlier	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
that	O
only	O
used	O
the	O
guitar	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
follows	O
a	O
similar	O
model	O
as	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Metallica	I-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Neversoft	O
and	O
Beenox	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Van	I-Application
Halen	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
22	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
though	O
customers	O
that	O
purchased	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
under	O
a	O
special	O
promotion	O
received	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
early	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
other	O
games	O
oriented	O
around	O
a	O
specific	O
artist	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Van	I-Application
Halen	I-Application
mainly	O
uses	O
songs	O
by	O
the	O
band	O
Van	B-Application
Halen	I-Application
,	O
including	O
three	O
guitar	O
solos	O
by	O
Eddie	O
Van	B-Application
Halen	I-Application
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
guest	O
acts	O
such	O
as	O
Queen	O
,	O
Weezer	O
,	O
Blink-182	O
,	O
Foo	O
Fighters	O
,	O
The	O
Offspring	O
,	O
and	O
Queens	O
of	O
the	O
Stone	O
Age	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
May	O
2009	O
and	O
features	O
"	O
Top	O
40	O
"	O
hits	O
aimed	O
at	O
family	O
audiences	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
full	O
band	O
play	O
style	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
using	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Device
Hero	I-Device
On	I-Device
Tour	I-Device
Guitar	O
Grip	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
drum	O
skin	O
"	O
to	O
fit	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
's	O
microphone	B-Application
to	O
support	O
the	O
full	O
band	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
by	O
Activision	O
in	O
May	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
announcement	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
purchased	O
FreeStyleGames	O
,	O
a	O
small	O
developer	O
of	O
music	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
to	O
help	O
produce	O
localized	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
for	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
and	O
a	O
then-unannounced	O
music	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
later	O
revealed	O
to	O
be	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
uses	O
a	O
special	O
turntable-based	O
controller	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
perform	O
with	O
on	O
various	O
song	O
mixes	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
incorporates	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
controller	O
on	O
ten	O
specially	O
arranged	O
tracks	O
;	O
Bright	O
suggested	O
that	O
future	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
after	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
could	O
include	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
turntable	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
in	O
June	O
2010	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
last	O
quarter	O
of	O
2010	O
,	O
featuring	O
more	O
than	O
70	O
mashups	O
from	O
over	O
85	O
artists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
includes	O
several	O
new	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
,	O
including	O
an	O
"	O
Empire	O
"	O
career	O
mode	O
,	O
head-to-head	O
DJ	O
battles	O
,	O
social	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
jump-in	O
and	O
out	O
Party	O
Play	O
mode	O
similar	O
to	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Device
Hero	I-Device
:	I-Device
On	I-Device
Tour	I-Device
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
hand-held	O
system	O
on	O
June	O
22	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
includes	O
a	O
peripheral	O
,	O
dubbed	O
the	O
"	O
Guitar	O
Grip	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
rectangular	O
device	O
that	O
fits	O
into	O
the	O
second	O
slot	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
or	O
DS	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
peripheral	O
only	O
features	O
the	O
first	O
four	O
fret	O
buttons	O
and	O
a	O
strap	O
so	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
can	O
be	O
held	O
sideways	O
comfortably	O
for	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
includes	O
a	O
guitar	O
pick	O
shaped	O
stylus	B-Device
for	O
use	O
with	O
strumming	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
players	O
move	O
across	O
the	O
touchscreen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Device
Hero	I-Device
:	I-Device
On	I-Device
Tour	I-Device
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
ported	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
to	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
's	I-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
console	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Device
Hero	I-Device
On	I-Device
Tour	I-Device
:	I-Device
Decades	I-Device
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
2008	O
,	O
featuring	O
music	B-Application
spanning	O
four	O
decades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Device
Hero	I-Device
On	I-Device
Tour	I-Device
:	O
Modern	O
Hits	O
,	O
was	O
announced	O
following	O
various	O
rumors	O
of	O
its	O
existence	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
2009	O
,	O
featuring	O
songs	O
recorded	O
since	O
the	O
year	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
games	O
use	O
the	O
"	O
Guitar	O
Grip	O
"	O
controller	O
,	O
and	O
allow	O
two	O
players	O
to	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
using	O
any	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
On	B-Device
Tour	I-Device
series	O
,	O
with	O
songs	O
being	O
shared	O
between	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
also	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
by	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
,	O
expanding	O
the	O
play	O
to	O
include	O
vocals	O
(	O
through	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
microphone	B-Application
)	O
and	O
drumming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
drumming	O
uses	O
a	O
special	O
"	O
drum	O
skin	O
"	O
adapter	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
Lite	I-Device
to	O
map	O
the	O
unit	O
's	O
face	O
buttons	O
to	O
four	O
drum	O
pads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
peripheral	O
is	O
not	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
model	O
or	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DSi	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
drum	O
skin	O
is	O
not	O
electronic	O
but	O
a	O
rubber	O
cover	O
switch	O
that	O
duplicates	O
certain	O
buttons	O
on	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
Lite	I-Device
,	O
a	O
player	O
can	O
simply	O
press	O
the	O
buttons	O
in	O
time	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
drums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
includes	O
four-player	O
local	O
wireless	O
play	O
in	O
a	O
similar	O
manner	O
as	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
allowing	O
any	O
combination	O
of	O
instruments	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
30	O
songs	O
;	O
some	O
are	O
from	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
others	O
are	O
from	O
several	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
 '	O
set	O
lists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Device
Hero	I-Device
:	I-Device
On	I-Device
Tour	I-Device
does	O
not	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DSi	I-Device
and	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
because	O
unlike	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
Game	O
Boy	O
Advance	O
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
is	O
limited	O
to	O
vocals	O
and	O
drums	O
on	O
the	O
two	O
consoles	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
reason	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Language
Hero	I-Language
III	I-Language
Mobile	I-Language
was	O
released	O
for	O
mobile	O
phones	O
in	O
2007	O
and	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
MachineWorks	O
Northwest	O
LLC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
base	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
includes	O
15	O
songs	O
from	O
both	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
and	O
has	O
released	O
a	O
three-song	O
add-on	O
pack	O
every	O
month	O
since	O
January	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
has	O
been	O
downloaded	O
by	O
users	O
one	O
million	O
times	O
,	O
with	O
both	O
Verizon	B-Application
and	O
Hands-On	O
Mobile	O
claiming	O
that	O
over	O
250,000	O
songs	O
are	O
played	O
a	O
day	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
companies	O
produced	O
two	O
other	O
mobile-based	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
;	O
Guitar	B-Language
Hero	I-Language
III	I-Language
:	I-Language
Backstage	I-Language
Pass	I-Language
,	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2008	O
,	O
adds	O
role-playing	O
elements	O
to	O
manage	O
the	O
band	O
's	O
success	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
core	O
rhythm	O
game	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
mobile	O
version	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
2008	O
,	O
expands	O
each	O
included	O
track	O
for	O
play	O
on	O
both	O
lead	O
guitar	O
and	O
drums	O
,	O
mimicking	O
the	O
expansion	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
series	O
to	O
the	O
full	O
band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Glu	O
Mobile	O
developed	O
the	O
mobile	O
version	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
last	O
quarter	O
of	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
and	O
RedOctane	O
also	O
worked	O
with	O
Basic	O
Fun	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
to	O
produce	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Carabiner	O
,	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
electronic	I-Application
game	I-Application
that	O
features	O
excerpts	O
of	O
several	O
songs	O
taken	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
and	O
Konami	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
together	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
that	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
meets	O
with	O
Konami	O
's	O
patents	O
on	O
music	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
Raw	O
Thrills	O
,	O
developed	O
an	O
arcade	O
console	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
titled	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Arcade	O
,	O
distributed	O
to	O
arcades	O
in	O
early	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
completely	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
gameplay	O
,	O
but	O
reducing	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Whammy	O
bar	O
,	O
Star	O
Power	O
Button	O
(	O
Star	O
Power	O
may	O
only	O
be	O
activated	O
by	O
lifting	O
the	O
Guitar	O
)	O
and	O
Practice	O
Modes	O
,	O
but	O
keeping	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
download	O
new	O
songs	O
for	O
the	O
cabinet	O
from	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
double	O
release	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
in	O
2009	O
were	O
the	O
last	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
expected	O
that	O
the	O
2010	O
entry	O
for	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
Warriors	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
final	O
entry	O
developed	O
by	O
Neversoft	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
claims	O
that	O
Neversoft	O
would	O
be	O
letting	O
go	O
of	O
its	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
division	O
,	O
with	O
Vicarious	O
Visions	O
likely	O
poised	O
to	O
take	O
over	O
future	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
industry	O
rumors	O
pointed	O
at	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
RedOctane	O
Studios	O
and	O
Underground	B-Application
Development	I-Application
(	O
the	O
development	O
studio	O
for	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Van	I-Application
Halen	I-Application
)	O
as	O
further	O
results	O
from	O
the	O
scaling-back	O
;	O
Activision	O
moved	O
the	O
controller	O
hardware	O
development	O
within	O
their	O
own	O
division	O
to	O
continue	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
with	O
RedOctane	O
founders	O
Kai	O
and	O
Charles	O
Huang	O
remaining	O
with	O
Activision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
week	O
prior	O
to	O
these	O
announcements	O
,	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
division	O
CEO	O
at	O
Activision	O
,	O
Dan	O
Rosensweig	O
,	O
left	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
some	O
speculation	O
on	O
whether	O
Rosensweig	O
's	O
departure	O
influenced	O
these	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RedOctane	O
originally	O
trademarked	O
the	O
titles	O
"	O
Drum	O
Hero	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
"	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
work	O
performed	O
towards	O
the	O
Drum	O
Hero	O
title	O
was	O
eventually	O
folded	O
into	O
the	O
gameplay	O
for	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
became	O
its	O
own	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pi	O
Studios	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
previously	O
helped	O
to	O
port	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
had	O
started	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
karaoke	O
title	O
Sing	O
Hero	O
before	O
Activision	O
cancelled	O
its	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
revealed	O
that	O
Mustaine	O
was	O
working	O
with	O
Activision	O
for	O
music	B-Application
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warriors	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
including	O
an	O
original	O
track	O
(	O
"	O
Sudden	O
Death	O
"	O
)	O
recorded	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
products	O
that	O
were	O
announced	O
but	O
never	O
released	O
were	O
a	O
Red	O
Hot	O
Chili	O
Peppers-themed	O
title	O
and	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
title	O
that	O
would	O
have	O
featured	O
a	O
drum	O
component	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
core	O
gameplay	O
of	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
is	O
a	O
rhythm	O
video	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Konami	O
's	O
Guitar	B-Application
Freaks	I-Application
and	O
to	O
a	O
lesser	O
extent	O
Harmonix	O
's	O
previous	O
music	B-Application
games	I-Application
such	O
as	O
Frequency	B-Application
and	O
Amplitude	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
an	O
extended	O
guitar	O
neck	O
is	O
shown	O
vertically	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
(	O
the	O
frets	O
horizontal	O
)	O
,	O
often	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
note	O
highway	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
the	O
song	O
progresses	O
,	O
colored	O
markers	O
or	O
"	O
gems	O
"	O
indicating	O
notes	O
travel	O
down	O
the	O
screen	O
in	O
time	O
with	O
the	O
music	B-Application
;	O
the	O
note	O
colors	O
and	O
positions	O
match	O
those	O
of	O
the	O
five	O
fret	O
keys	O
on	O
the	O
guitar	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
a	O
window	O
of	O
time	O
for	O
hitting	O
each	O
note	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
other	O
rhythm	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Dance	B-Application
Dance	I-Application
Revolution	I-Application
,	O
but	O
unlike	O
these	O
games	O
,	O
scoring	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
is	I-Application
not	O
affected	O
by	O
accuracy	O
;	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
the	O
note	O
is	O
hit	O
within	O
that	O
window	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
receives	O
the	O
same	O
number	O
of	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
Star	O
Power	O
Meter	O
is	O
at	O
least	O
half	O
full	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
activate	O
"	O
Star	O
Power	O
"	O
by	O
pressing	O
the	O
select	B-Device
button	I-Device
or	O
momentarily	O
lifting	O
the	O
guitar	O
into	O
a	O
vertical	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
earlier	O
entries	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
(	O
up	O
until	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
)	O
,	O
activating	O
Star	O
Power	O
meant	O
that	O
players	O
could	O
not	O
accrue	O
more	O
Star	O
Power	O
until	O
the	O
Star	O
Power	O
meter	O
was	O
fully	O
drained	O
and	O
the	O
effect	O
ended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
more	O
Star	O
Power	O
can	O
be	O
collected	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
effect	O
is	O
active	O
by	O
completing	O
more	O
Star	O
Power	O
phrases	O
,	O
extending	O
the	O
Star	O
Power	O
's	O
duration	O
by	O
doing	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
playing	O
in	O
cooperative	O
play	O
(	O
with	O
a	O
bassist/rhythm	O
guitarist	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
through	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
or	O
as	O
a	O
band	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Star	O
Power	O
is	O
shared	O
between	O
all	O
the	O
players	O
and	O
activation	O
of	O
Star	O
Power	O
is	O
dependent	O
on	O
all	O
players	O
simultaneously	O
activating	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sequences	O
where	O
strumming	O
is	O
not	O
required	O
are	O
indicated	O
on-screen	O
by	O
notes	O
with	O
a	O
white	O
outline	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
marker	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
usual	O
black	O
one	O
,	O
with	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
adding	O
a	O
white-glowing	O
effect	O
to	O
make	O
these	O
notes	O
clearer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
features	O
transparent	O
notes	O
that	O
are	O
connected	O
by	O
a	O
purple	O
outline	O
;	O
players	O
may	O
either	O
simply	O
tap	O
the	O
correct	O
fret	O
for	O
these	O
notes	O
without	O
strumming	O
or	O
utilize	O
a	O
touchpad	O
on	O
World	O
Tours	O
guitar	O
controller	O
to	O
mimic	O
the	O
slide	O
technique	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
also	O
adds	O
an	O
open	O
string	O
note	O
for	O
bass	O
players	O
,	O
represented	O
by	O
a	O
line	O
across	O
the	O
fret	O
instead	O
of	O
any	O
note	O
gems	O
,	O
that	O
is	O
played	O
by	O
strumming	O
without	O
holding	O
down	O
any	O
fret	O
buttons	O
(	O
the	O
sixth	O
installment	O
,	O
Warriors	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
features	O
an	O
open	O
note	O
sustain	O
for	O
bass	O
instruments	O
as	O
well	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
introduced	O
drums	O
and	O
vocal	O
tracks	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
lead	O
and	O
bass	O
guitar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vocal	O
tracks	O
are	O
played	O
similar	O
to	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Karaoke	B-Application
Revolution	I-Application
where	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
match	O
the	O
pitch	O
and	O
the	O
pacing	O
of	O
the	O
lyrics	O
to	O
score	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
allows	O
players	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
band	O
of	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
using	O
any	O
combination	O
of	O
instruments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
song	O
is	O
playing	O
,	O
the	O
background	O
visuals	O
feature	O
the	O
players	O
 '	O
chosen	O
avatar	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
band	O
performing	O
in	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
real	O
and	O
fictional	O
venues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
added	O
special	O
lighting	O
and	O
other	O
stage	O
effects	O
that	O
were	O
synchronized	O
to	O
the	O
music	B-Application
to	O
provide	O
a	O
more	O
complete	O
concert	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
mode	O
of	O
play	O
in	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
is	O
Career	O
Mode	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
in-game	O
band	O
travel	O
between	O
various	O
fictional	O
performance	O
arenas	O
and	O
perform	O
sets	O
of	O
four	O
to	O
six	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
successfully	O
completing	O
a	O
song	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
given	O
a	O
score	O
,	O
a	O
percentage	O
of	O
how	O
many	O
notes	O
they	O
hit	O
and	O
a	O
rating	O
from	O
three	O
to	O
five	O
stars	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
in	O
rare	O
cases	O
depending	O
on	O
his/her	O
final	O
score	O
on	O
the	O
song	O
,	O
with	O
money	O
being	O
awarded	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
this	O
was	O
advanced	O
on	O
,	O
as	O
players	O
could	O
play	O
a	O
Pro	O
Face-Off	O
game	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
on	O
any	O
difficulty	O
level	O
,	O
the	O
lower	O
your	O
difficulty	O
,	O
the	O
more	O
points	O
were	O
awarded	O
so	O
a	O
player	O
on	O
a	O
low	O
difficulty	O
could	O
potentially	O
beat	O
a	O
player	O
on	O
a	O
more	O
challenging	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
introduced	O
Boss	O
Battles	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
two	O
players	O
face	O
off	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
,	O
attempt	O
to	O
collect	O
"	O
distractions	O
"	O
to	O
throw	O
at	O
their	O
opponent	O
,	O
trying	O
to	O
make	O
them	O
fail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
can	O
play	O
cooperatively	O
on	O
lead	O
and	O
bass	O
guitar	O
,	O
drums	O
,	O
and	O
vocals	O
,	O
while	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
eight	O
players	O
can	O
compete	O
in	O
a	O
Battle	O
of	O
the	O
Bands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
versions	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
support	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
over	O
their	O
respective	O
network	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
difficulty	O
added	O
in	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
is	O
Beginner	O
,	O
which	O
only	O
requires	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
strum	O
to	O
the	O
basic	O
rhythm	O
;	O
holding	O
the	O
fret	O
buttons	O
becomes	O
unnecessary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
new	O
difficulty	O
only	O
for	O
drums	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
Metallica	B-Application
known	O
as	O
Expert+	O
,	O
which	O
uses	O
the	O
double	O
bass	O
pedal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warriors	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
is	O
the	O
sixth	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
and	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
Career	O
mode	O
of	O
previous	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rather	O
than	O
being	O
a	O
quest	O
for	O
fame	O
and	O
glory	O
with	O
the	O
band	O
travelling	O
through	O
different	O
venues	O
,	O
Warriors	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
features	O
the	O
"	O
Quest	O
Mode	O
"	O
as	O
the	O
primary	O
campaign	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
playing	O
through	O
Career	O
mode	O
or	O
in	O
other	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
select	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
pre-created	O
avatar	B-Application
characters	O
,	O
who	O
will	O
be	O
shown	O
performing	O
on	O
stage	O
as	O
the	O
player	O
attempts	O
a	O
song	O
,	O
but	O
otherwise	O
has	O
no	O
effect	O
on	O
the	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Standby	O
characters	O
that	O
have	O
appeared	O
in	O
nearly	O
all	O
the	O
games	O
include	O
the	O
metalhead	O
Axel	B-Application
Steel	I-Application
,	O
extreme/Viking/thrash	O
metalhead	O
Lars	O
Ümlaut	O
,	O
punk	O
rocker	O
Johnny	B-Application
Napalm	I-Application
,	O
alternative	O
rocker	O
Judy	B-Application
Nails	I-Application
,	O
and	O
hard	O
rocker	O
Casey	B-Application
Lynch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
utilized	O
these	O
characters	O
in	O
more	O
detail	O
within	O
Warriors	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
where	O
each	O
was	O
given	O
a	O
unique	O
setlist	O
and	O
venue	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
musical	O
style	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
unique	O
power	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
Quest	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
feature	O
caricatures	O
of	O
celebrity	O
artists	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Slash	O
,	O
Tom	O
Morello	O
and	O
Bret	O
Michaels	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
Ozzy	O
Osbourne	O
and	O
Jimi	O
Hendrix	O
in	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
Kurt	O
Cobain	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Taylor	O
Swift	O
and	O
the	O
band	O
No	O
Doubt	O
in	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
band-specific	O
games	O
,	O
Aerosmith	B-Application
,	O
Metallica	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Van	B-Application
Halen	I-Application
also	O
feature	O
the	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
respective	O
bands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
for	O
the	O
players	O
to	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
avatars	B-Application
was	O
added	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
Neversoft	O
's	O
existing	O
character	O
creation	O
tools	O
from	O
the	O
Tony	O
Hawk	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
games	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
respective	O
console	O
's	O
avatars	B-Application
as	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
includes	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
fully	O
customize	O
any	O
component	O
of	O
the	O
guitar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
feature	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
songs	O
ranging	O
from	O
the	O
1960s	O
to	O
present	O
day	O
rock	O
music	B-Application
from	O
both	O
highly	O
successful	O
artists	O
and	O
bands	O
and	O
independent	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Encore	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rocks	I-Application
the	I-Application
80s	I-Application
features	O
songs	O
primarily	O
from	O
the	O
1980s	O
,	O
while	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
,	O
Metallica	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Van	B-Application
Halen	I-Application
feature	O
music	B-Application
from	O
the	O
respective	O
bands	O
and	O
groups	O
that	O
inspired	O
or	O
worked	O
with	O
the	O
bands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
recent	O
generation	O
of	O
consoles	O
(	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
)	O
support	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
purchase	O
new	O
songs	O
to	O
play	O
in	O
the	O
respective	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
for	O
earlier	O
games	O
will	O
not	O
work	O
in	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
save	O
for	O
songs	O
from	O
Metallica	B-Application
's	O
Death	O
Magnetic	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
available	O
for	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Metallica	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Existing	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
for	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
will	O
be	O
forward-compatible	O
with	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Warriors	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
and	O
for	O
a	O
small	O
fee	O
,	O
some	O
songs	O
from	O
both	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
and	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Smash	I-Application
Hits	I-Application
can	O
be	O
exported	O
to	O
both	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
limited	O
by	O
music	B-Application
licensing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
has	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
considering	O
a	O
monthly	O
subscription	O
service	O
to	O
deliver	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
to	O
user	O
for	O
future	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
introduced	O
a	O
music	B-Application
creation	O
mode	O
that	O
will	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
share	O
songs	O
(	O
excluding	O
vocals	O
)	O
via	O
the	O
"	O
GHTunes	B-Application
"	O
service	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
also	O
used	O
in	O
all	O
other	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
since	O
its	O
inclusion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
creation	O
tools	O
were	O
improved	O
with	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
to	O
allow	O
longer	O
songs	O
and	O
other	O
means	O
of	O
generating	O
songs	O
in	O
real-time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
and	O
the	O
2007	O
expansion	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Encore	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rocks	I-Application
the	I-Application
80s	I-Application
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
songs	O
on	O
the	O
main	O
career	O
mode	O
set	O
lists	O
are	O
covers	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
song	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
song	O
may	O
be	O
presented	O
as	O
"	O
Free	O
Bird	O
as	O
made	O
famous	O
by	O
Lynyrd	O
Skynyrd	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
introduces	O
a	O
much	O
larger	O
range	O
of	O
original	O
recordings	O
,	O
and	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
featured	O
a	O
setlist	O
that	O
contained	O
all	O
master	O
recordings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
covers	O
throughout	O
the	O
games	O
are	O
mostly	O
recreated	O
by	O
WaveGroup	B-Application
Sound	I-Application
who	O
has	O
worked	O
before	O
to	O
create	O
songs	O
for	O
Beatmania	B-Application
,	O
Dance	B-Application
Dance	I-Application
Revolution	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Karaoke	B-Application
Revolution	I-Application
,	O
making	O
small	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
guitar	O
portions	O
to	O
make	O
them	O
more	O
adaptable	O
for	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Almost	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
unlockable	O
bonus	O
songs	O
are	O
songs	O
performed	O
by	O
the	O
original	O
artist	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
(	O
the	O
only	O
exception	O
is	O
the	O
song	O
"	O
She	O
Bangs	O
the	O
Drums	O
"	O
by	O
The	O
Stone	O
Roses	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
featured	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
,	O
Activision	O
worked	O
with	O
the	O
iTunes	O
Store	O
to	O
provide	O
more	O
than	O
1300	O
tracks	O
of	O
Guitar	O
Hero-related	O
music	B-Application
across	O
more	O
than	O
20	O
compilations	O
,	O
including	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
tracks	O
from	O
the	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
called	O
"	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Essentials	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
compilations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Killer	O
Guitar	O
Solos	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Guitar	O
Anthems	O
of	O
the	O
'	O
80s	O
"	O
,	O
include	O
songs	O
related	O
to	O
but	O
not	O
contained	O
within	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dusty	O
Welch	O
of	O
RedOctane	O
stated	O
,	O
"	O
Where	O
there	O
's	O
music	B-Application
,	O
there	O
's	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
and	O
with	O
iTunes	O
,	O
we	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
provide	O
fans	O
with	O
a	O
central	O
location	O
for	O
downloading	O
their	O
favorite	O
rock	O
anthems.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
merger	O
of	O
Activision	O
and	O
Blizzard	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
company	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
iTunes	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
brand	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
for	O
downloading	O
songs	O
and	O
their	O
associated	O
note	O
tracks	O
for	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
in	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
have	O
been	O
generally	O
well	O
received	O
by	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Neversoft	O
's	O
first	O
entry	O
to	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
was	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
too	O
difficult	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
difficult	O
songs	O
presenting	O
players	O
with	O
"	O
walls	O
of	O
notes	O
"	O
;	O
the	O
developers	O
later	O
acknowledged	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequent	O
efforts	O
in	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
and	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
were	O
seen	O
to	O
have	O
some	O
improvements	O
,	O
with	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Metallica	I-Application
considered	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
well-polished	O
title	O
and	O
,	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
best	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
title	O
Neversoft	O
has	O
produced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5s	I-Application
improvements	O
toward	O
social	O
gameplay	O
were	O
complemented	O
by	O
reviewers	O
and	O
considered	O
a	O
further	O
improvement	O
upon	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
significantly	O
more	O
financially	O
successful	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
1.3	O
million	O
copies	O
sold	O
and	O
sales	O
over	O
US$200	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
according	O
to	O
Activision	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
single	O
video	O
game	O
to	O
sell	O
more	O
than	O
US$1	O
billion	O
at	O
retail	O
,	O
with	O
nearly	O
3.5	O
million	O
copies	O
sold	O
during	O
the	O
first	O
seven	O
months	O
of	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
continued	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
high	O
sales	O
records	O
with	O
3.4	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
during	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
were	O
listed	O
on	O
a	O
March	O
2011	O
list	O
from	O
the	O
NPD	O
Group	O
of	O
top-grossing	O
games	O
in	O
unadjusted	O
sales	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
since	O
1995	O
;	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
III	I-Application
tops	O
the	O
list	O
with	O
total	O
sales	O
of	O
$830.9	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
,	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
has	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
25	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
,	O
earning	O
US$2	O
billion	O
at	O
retail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
claimed	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
3rd	O
largest	O
game	O
franchise	O
in	O
2009	O
after	O
the	O
Mario	B-Application
and	O
Madden	O
NFL	O
franchises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
has	O
made	O
a	O
significant	O
cultural	O
impact	O
,	O
becoming	O
a	O
"	O
cultural	O
phenomenon	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
has	O
helped	O
to	O
rekindle	O
music	B-Application
education	O
in	O
children	O
,	O
influenced	O
changes	O
in	O
both	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
and	O
music	B-Application
industry	O
,	O
has	O
found	O
use	O
in	O
health	O
and	O
treatment	O
of	O
recovering	O
patients	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
become	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
popular	O
culture	O
vernacular	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
journalists	O
,	O
including	O
1UP.com,	O
Wired	O
,	O
G4TV	O
,	O
the	O
San	O
Jose	O
Mercury	O
News	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
The	O
Guardian	O
,	O
and	O
Advertising	O
Age	O
,	O
considered	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
influential	O
products	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
decade	O
of	O
the	O
21st	O
century	O
,	O
attributing	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
spark	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
growth	O
of	O
the	O
rhythm	O
game	O
market	O
,	O
for	O
boosting	O
music	B-Application
sales	O
for	O
both	O
new	O
and	O
old	O
artists	O
,	O
for	O
introducing	O
more	O
social	O
gaming	O
concepts	O
to	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
,	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
for	O
improving	O
interactivity	O
with	O
gaming	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
has	O
seen	O
a	O
revitalization	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
software	B-General_Concept
clone	I-General_Concept
called	O
Clone	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
as	O
observed	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
console	O
has	O
no	O
compatibility	O
with	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
controller	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
are	O
fully	O
backward-compatible	O
through	O
the	O
hardware	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
emulation	O
in	O
the	O
initial	O
North	O
American	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
impossible	O
at	O
launch	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
guitar	O
controller	O
to	O
play	O
either	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kai	O
Huang	O
,	O
of	O
RedOctane	O
,	O
states	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
"	O
working	O
on	O
that	O
with	O
Sony	O
right	O
now	O
–	O
looking	O
at	O
how	O
we	O
can	O
get	O
all	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
guitars	O
that	O
are	O
out	O
there	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
the	O
owners	O
of	O
them	O
,	O
to	O
use	O
them	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	O
3.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Nyko	O
,	O
an	O
accessories	O
company	O
,	O
was	O
poised	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
special	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
controller	O
adapter	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
put	O
the	O
product	O
on	O
hold	O
due	O
to	O
technical	O
difficulties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tac	O
,	O
another	O
accessories	O
company	O
,	O
also	O
made	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
controller	O
adapter	O
for	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
game	O
console	O
so	O
players	O
could	O
use	O
their	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
guitar	O
controllers	O
that	O
were	O
made	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
with	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
May	O
2007	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
V1.80	O
system	O
update	O
has	O
made	O
the	O
guitar	O
controller	O
compatible	O
with	O
generic	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
controller	O
to	O
USB	O
adapters	O
when	O
playing	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gibson	O
Guitar	O
Corporation	O
,	O
whose	O
guitar	O
likenesses	O
have	O
appeared	O
in	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
from	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Aerosmith	I-Application
,	O
informed	O
Activision	O
on	O
January	O
7	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
that	O
it	O
believed	O
the	O
games	O
infringe	O
its	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
17	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Gibson	O
sued	O
six	O
retailers	O
(	O
GameStop	O
,	O
Amazon.com,	O
Wal-Mart	O
,	O
Target	O
,	O
Toys	O
"	O
R	O
"	O
Us	O
and	O
Kmart	O
)	O
for	O
selling	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
on	O
March	O
21	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Gibson	O
also	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
EA	O
,	O
MTV	O
,	O
and	O
Harmonix	O
over	O
their	O
game	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
also	O
for	O
violation	O
of	O
its	O
patent	O
,	O
to	O
which	O
a	O
Harmonix	O
spokesperson	O
stated	O
that	O
Gibson	O
's	O
claims	O
are	O
"	O
completely	O
without	O
merit	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
,	O
through	O
John	O
Devecka	O
,	O
owns	O
all	O
of	O
Devecka	O
Enterprises	O
 '	O
US	O
and	O
international	O
patents	O
that	O
deal	O
with	O
music	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
Activision	O
was	O
sued	O
by	O
the	O
Patent	O
Compliance	O
Group	O
(	O
PCG	O
)	O
for	O
releasing	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
products	O
with	O
false	O
patent	O
claims	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
PCG	O
asserting	O
that	O
games	O
like	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
were	O
marked	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
10	O
patents	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
used	O
within	O
the	O
games	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
other	O
improper	O
patent	O
pending	O
claims	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
issued	O
a	O
cease	O
and	O
desist	O
letter	O
to	O
Nicholas	O
Piegdon	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
of	O
an	O
open	O
source	O
piano	O
teaching	O
program	O
called	O
Piano	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
demanding	O
he	O
change	O
the	O
name	O
to	O
something	O
less	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
complied	O
and	O
renamed	O
the	O
software	O
Synthesia	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
critics	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
releases	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
was	O
"	O
milking	O
"	O
the	O
brand	O
name	O
and	O
oversaturating	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PaRappa	B-Application
the	I-Application
Rapper	I-Application
creator	O
Masaya	O
Matsuura	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
market	O
was	O
growing	O
stale	O
and	O
needed	O
to	O
move	O
beyond	O
games	O
that	O
simply	O
challenge	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
mimic	O
the	O
playing	O
of	O
licensed	O
music	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ryan	O
Geddes	O
of	O
IGN	O
stated	O
that	O
he	O
"	O
hit	O
the	O
wall	O
with	O
play-along	O
music	B-Application
games	I-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
challenged	O
the	O
game	O
makers	O
to	O
explore	O
other	O
ways	O
to	O
combine	O
music	B-Application
and	O
video	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jesse	O
Divnich	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
Design	O
Research	O
commented	O
that	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
Dance	B-Application
Dance	I-Application
Revolution	I-Application
,	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
other	O
music	B-Application
games	I-Application
explosively	O
grew	O
initially	O
due	O
to	O
significant	O
new	O
features	O
from	O
other	O
games	O
but	O
have	O
become	O
stagnant	O
due	O
to	O
focusing	O
on	O
content	O
over	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
suggested	O
that	O
for	O
the	O
genre	O
to	O
continue	O
to	O
grow	O
,	O
they	O
must	O
look	O
to	O
incremental	O
changes	O
as	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
release	O
model	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
series	O
,	O
causing	O
some	O
players	O
to	O
hold	O
contempt	O
towards	O
Activision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harmonix	O
considered	O
the	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
series	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
music	B-Application
platform	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
supported	O
it	O
with	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
import	O
songs	O
from	O
its	O
games	O
and	O
expansions	O
into	O
most	O
other	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
argued	O
that	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
should	O
have	O
been	O
doing	O
the	O
same	O
,	O
either	O
through	O
releasing	O
expansions	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
incorporated	O
into	O
the	O
main	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
or	O
by	O
issuing	O
the	O
songs	O
as	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Smash	I-Application
Hits	I-Application
,	O
reworking	O
older	O
songs	O
from	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
full	O
four-instrument	O
band	O
support	O
but	O
otherwise	O
adding	O
no	O
additional	O
material	O
,	O
was	O
called	O
"	O
the	O
definition	O
of	O
'	O
milking	O
 '	O
"	O
by	O
reviewers	O
,	O
with	O
no	O
observable	O
technical	O
limitation	O
as	O
to	O
why	O
the	O
songs	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
added	O
as	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ars	O
Technica	O
recognized	O
that	O
licensing	O
issues	O
might	O
have	O
limited	O
when	O
songs	O
from	O
one	O
single	O
game	O
could	O
be	O
played	O
in	O
others	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
case	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Beatles	I-Application
:	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
Band	I-Application
)	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
such	O
cross-compatibility	O
should	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
high	O
priority	O
for	O
rhythm	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
some	O
expansions	O
were	O
praised	O
for	O
the	O
additional	O
content	O
beyond	O
the	O
note-matching	O
gameplay	O
;	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Metallica	I-Application
is	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
best	O
works	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
Neversoft	O
in	O
part	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
care	O
that	O
the	O
developers	O
took	O
with	O
imaging	O
the	O
band	O
and	O
the	O
available	O
extras	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
later	O
revealed	O
that	O
both	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
would	O
support	O
playing	O
songs	O
from	O
both	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
World	I-Application
Tour	I-Application
(	O
both	O
on-disc	O
and	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
)	O
and	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
Smash	I-Application
Hits	I-Application
,	O
with	O
music	B-Application
licensing	O
being	O
the	O
only	O
limiting	O
factor	O
on	O
which	O
songs	O
could	O
be	O
made	O
forward-compatible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
titles	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
partially	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
sharp	O
decline	O
of	O
music	B-Application
game	I-Application
sales	O
in	O
the	O
latter	O
half	O
of	O
2009	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
effects	O
of	O
the	O
late-2000s	O
recession	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Former	O
Neversoft	O
project	O
director	O
Brian	O
Bright	O
noted	O
that	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
they	O
were	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
three	O
games	O
that	O
year	O
(	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
5	I-Application
,	O
Metallica	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
)	O
and	O
supporting	O
other	O
studios	O
for	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
two	O
additional	O
games	O
,	O
causing	O
the	O
studio	O
to	O
lose	O
focus	O
both	O
in	O
development	O
and	O
marketing	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Bright	O
,	O
sales	O
of	O
all	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
released	O
in	O
2009	O
totaled	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
2008	O
title	O
World	B-Application
Tour	I-Application
,	O
demonstrating	O
the	O
dilution	O
of	O
the	O
marketing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
Activision	O
had	O
originally	O
planned	O
on	O
tripling	O
the	O
offerings	O
of	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
series	I-Application
in	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
readjusted	O
their	O
plans	O
,	O
reducing	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
offerings	O
and	O
focusing	O
more	O
on	O
selling	O
digital	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
for	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
two	O
titles	O
,	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warriors	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rock	I-Application
and	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
2	I-Application
were	O
released	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
both	O
scheduled	O
for	O
the	O
"	O
back	O
half	O
of	O
2010	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kotick	O
believed	O
that	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
downfall	O
of	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
was	O
due	O
to	O
Activision	O
's	O
introduction	O
of	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
which	O
they	O
gave	O
too	O
much	O
focus	O
and	O
left	O
the	O
core	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
games	O
without	O
the	O
"	O
nourishment	O
and	O
care	O
"	O
needed	O
to	O
continue	O
to	O
innovate	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
Publishing	O
chief	O
executive	O
Mike	O
Griffith	O
,	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
questions	O
about	O
Activision	O
's	O
approach	O
to	O
the	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
market	O
,	O
noted	O
that	O
Guitar	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
continues	O
to	O
outsell	O
the	O
Rock	B-Application
Band	I-Application
series	O
in	O
both	O
number	O
of	O
sales	O
and	O
revenue	O
,	O
with	O
consumers	O
continuing	O
to	O
buy	O
the	O
separate	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
considered	O
the	O
market	O
acceptance	O
of	O
the	O
multiple	O
games	O
as	O
validation	O
for	O
their	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activision	O
also	O
claimed	O
to	O
have	O
conducted	O
research	O
that	O
showed	O
there	O
was	O
solid	O
consumer	O
interest	O
in	O
products	O
such	O
as	O
DJ	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
and	O
Band	B-Application
Hero	I-Application
,	O
each	O
of	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
markedly	O
different	O
focus	O
than	O
the	O
main	O
installments	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
;	O
series	O
spokesperson	O
Eric	O
Hollreiser	O
suggested	O
the	O
experimental	O
approach	O
would	O
attract	O
players	O
who	O
wanted	O
different	O
styles	O
of	O
music	B-Application
or	O
a	O
different	O
peripheral	O
with	O
which	O
to	O
relate	O
to	O
the	O
music	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Regardless	O
,	O
after	O
releasing	O
25	O
different	O
SKUs	O
(	O
between	O
games	O
and	O
bundle	O
packages	O
)	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
Activision	O
opted	O
to	O
reduce	O
that	O
number	O
to	O
10	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
recognizing	O
the	O
music	B-Application
game	I-Application
genre	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
profitable	O
as	O
it	O
once	O
was	O
.	O
</s>
