Guitar Hero's veteran developers announce RedOctane Games as their new studio

Veterans of the iconic Guitar Hero and DJ Hero franchises have banded together to start a new chapter in the rhythm game genre. RedOctane Games has officially launched, and the studio confirmed that its first title will be announced later in 2025.

RedOctane Games is operating under Embracer Group’s Freemode division, which is known for supporting independent gaming ventures. The studio is being led by former Vicarious Visions Studio Head and VP Operations at Blizzard Entertainment, Simon Ebejer.

Ebejer has previously worked as the production director on numerous Guitar Hero titles, including Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero: World Tour, among others, during his time at Neversoft.

RedOctane Games’ debut title has already been in production for a few months and is slated for an announcement later this year. Ebejer commented on their upcoming project:

“The 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.”

Furthermore, the founders of RedOctane and creators of Guitar Hero, brothers Kai and Charles Huang, will oversee the project’s development as a part of the studio’s special advisory board.

RedOctane published its first Guitar Hero game in 2005, and Guitar Hero 2 for the PS2, spearheaded by developer Harmonix. Later, Activision acquired the company (and its IP) for a mammoth $99.9 million in 2006. After Activision acquired the studio, development was spearheaded by Neversoft Entertainment. 

The franchise was deemed one of the most influential video games of the 21st century across the gaming industry. Throughout its lifecycle, the franchise sold over 25 million units globally, raking in $2 billion in retail sales.

Amid the widespread success of the franchise, Activision released 10 mainline Guitar Hero titles between 2007 and 2010, including spin-offs, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: Metallica.

However, the saturation of the franchise with too many Guitar Hero titles, declining sales, and a lack of innovation led to the closure of its RedOctane division on February 11, 2010, followed by Neversoft’s shutdown on July 10, 2014.

RedOctane is once again in the spotlight, with the newly-founded studio determined to give back to a genre even as it banks on a mix of a younger generation of players and nostaligia to drive its upcoming projects.