Ubisoft Buys Guitar Hero Live Studio FreeStyleGames From Activision

Hopefully the studio can continue making such games under a different brand.

While I don't think we need annual releases of them, these games should always have a place in the market if they're made well and continue to close the gap between those with little instrumental skill/knowledge and musical nirvana.

I have GHL on Wii U but admit to not having played it yet.

Just Dance Hero.

Wouldn't be surprised if Ubisoft bought the studio not to make games themselves, but purely to increase the manpower needed to make the big releases like Assassins Creed and Watch Dogs etc. That seems to be how more and more games are being created now days.

@gcunit I'm the exact same. Haven't got around to playing it. Too many games.

@FragRed
At the very same time release games that's so bug ridden that they have to release a patch.

Unfortunately ever since consoles allow game patching the quality of quality control has dropped drastically.

Wait, Reflections? As in, "Driver" Reflections? Nice!
And also, of course, nice to see an underused IP is in better hands now. So Nintendo consoles can now at least go from a useless Ubisoft musical game franchise to a useful Ubisoft musical game franchise.

Set them to work on Switch games

>_<
I want Konami make DDR again on Switch.
Or any rhythm games from BEMANI.
I don't like Western style rhythm games...

I liked GHL. I have it for 360, and it's still a nice party game. The new button config on the guitar is pretty nice, feels a little more like a real neck with the ability to simulate chords and so on.

That being said, they have very annoying microtransactions in it which makes the online versus mode a bit unfair, and the library of songs limited. You need tokens to choose a song, which are slow to earn but sold in the store.

I like the gameplay though. Maybe Ubisoft will be nicer to us than Activision.

@AlexSora89 I don't think they've sold the IP, just the studio.

@jswhitfield8 the studio purchase might be to make rocksmith more of a game than a learning game.

@MarcelRguez
So Guitar Hero is still in Activision's hands, huh.
Well, at least they're starting to redeem themselves with the Crash Bandicoot remake. In fact, I guess that inspired Konami to bring Bomberman back. Let's hope the chain reaction will take the entire industry back to the nineties! A weird time, sure, but a golden era for gaming, when graphics mattered little and so did realistic, mature experiences.

@AlexSora89 I would love for that to happen, as long as it doesn’t turn the Switch into a retro fest. Give us new games featuring old characters!

Yes these type of games have had their day!

I guess the end of GHTV is nigh, but Ubi may get them to work on a new rhythm action game.

@AlexSora89 Even Nintendo is going back to the 90s with games like Super Mario Odyssey.

Heh heh heh...This tickled me. :')

@Grumblevolcano
Nineties do what Nintendoes.

@MarcelRguez
The new Bomberman game is a new game with an old character.

@jswhitfield8

Works great too. My wife uses it and she has learned to play the bass very well with it. She used to be a singer/drummer and she loves it.

I wonder if this studio will get involved in that franchise as well?

Maybe Ubisoft won't be so greedy with this IP as Activision was with it.

@AlexSora89 It's still the same old Bomberman, not really an entirely different game. That's what I mean. Iterative sequels are well and good, but I want to see new stuff as well.

@jswhitfield8

If you ever do, don't hesistate. They also have a huge online store to add more songs, just like Guitar Hero. And they're adding new songs still.

@MarcelRguez
Honestly... how do you reinvent Bomberman?

Because we all know how well that one went.

That actually makes a lot of sense, not just because Activision is a really lame publisher, but because GH was always more fitting to Ubisoft's line-up anyway. Now they could even combine it with Danca Dance Hero.

But the thing is, it doesn't really matter, because in comparison to Rocksmith, GH is really unimpressive (coming from someone who put lots of hours into GH 4&5 on PC and owned two GH guitars, drums and a mic).

I think guitar hero would do better now if they did band exclusive games like they did with aerosmith etc

Thing is, the reason GHL did so poorly was its stupid "live" system where you had to wait for your song to play, or you could pay the price of half a month of Netflix to be able to have unlimited access to all the songs... for 24 hours.

But Activision didn't sell the IP, did they? Just the studio.

I assume they'll let them develop new projects or use them as extra hands on development of current games. Either way, I do hope these guys can take the transition well. Being sold like that to another company, with a different work culture and goals must be jarring one way or another.

@samuelvictor
I've lived my childhood in the nineties, which means that yes, I also had the misfortune of living my teen years after the turn of the millennium, but also means I had one heck of a childhood. Think about animated shows alone: DuckTales reruns, Recess, Batman The Animated Series, friggin' GARGOYLES.
And let's not even started with gaming...

@samuelvictor
Eeyup. Then the 2000s came along and - in Italy at least, don't know about other countries - reality shows replaced variety shows, while animation is routinely kept in the dedicated channels' ghetto.
Thank goodness for the Internet, where certain gems at least can still be found.

@samuelvictor
An epidemic indeed!!