Alright, so get this – a bunch of the old hands behind the Guitar Hero magic decided they missed the chaos of plastic guitars and head-banging. They’re calling themselves RedOctane again, which, if you remember, was the name back when Guitar Hero first exploded onto the scene. Oh, and now they’re cooking up something fresh in the rhythm game world. We might hear more about it later this year.
So, picture this – August 6 rolls around, and boom! RedOctane Games hits us with a trailer that’s all sparkle and dazzle and a few talky bits in the press releases. That name, RedOctane, takes a lot of us right down memory lane, back to those early Guitar Hero days in 2005. These folks were side-by-side with Harmonix until, you know, Activision swept in during 2006, and things got messy when Harmonix went off to bake Rock Band. Anyway, fast forward, Activision shut it all down by 2010 ’cause everyone got tired of stepping over plastic guitars in their living rooms. Here we are, 15 years a hop, skip and jump later, and wham! RedOctane is back in the game. Quite literally.
Simon Ebejer – now there’s a name to stick in your head for this one – he’s heading the whole thing at RedOctane. He’s all about that rhythm game life, waxing poetic about how it’s not just button-mashing but a vibe and a heart-thing, connecting folks through music and the rhythm of life or something equally profound. He was neck-deep in Guitar Hero projects back in the day. Now, it’s a mash-up of the old school and new blood, including some peeps who’ve been tinkering with fan projects like a PC Rock Band clone called YARG. Oh, and the original RedOctane brains, Charles and Kai Huang, are popping in as advisor types. This whole shebang is part of the big league Embracer Group’s Freemode crowd, rubbing elbows with the folks who do the fancy Middle-Earth stuff.
So here’s what’s on the grapevine – RedOctane isn’t just faffing around. They’ve got some new rhythm adventures in the works, eyes peeled for a new game announcement later this year. Fun fact – the team’s already dabbled with a snazzy plastic guitar for Fortnite Festival. Tidbits from some Embracer exec suggest it’s got guitars, but it’s strumming to a different beat, not just another Guitar Hero redux.
“This ain’t just another rehash of Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, or any of those,” bellows RedOctane from the rooftops. “Nah, we’re crafting something fresh, with a whole lot of love and a big ol’ heart for the community.” They’re really hammering home the love note to the players and modders who’ve kept the rhythm flame alive, led by a new-gen band of tech maestros steering this ship into the unknown.
