Former Guitar Hero builders have based RedOctane Video games, a studio devoted to rhythm video games.
Introduced as we speak, the studio (which bears the model of the unique Guitar Hero developer RedOctane) is spearheaded by Simon Ebejer, former manufacturing director at Neversoft, the place he oversaw manufacturing of video games like Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for over eight years. He is since labored as manufacturing director at Infinity Ward, chief working officer at Vicarious Visions, and vp of operations of the Diablo franchise at Blizzard.
The brand new studio is a subsidiary of Embracer-owned working group Embracer Freemode.
Ebejer will lead a workforce of 23 folks, which incorporates trade veterans with expertise working within the Guitar Hero collection in addition to rising expertise embedded within the rhythm sport house. The particular advisory board consists of Charles and Kai Huang—the brothers based RedOctane in 1999. RedOctane led manufacturing and publishing of the primary handful of Guitar Hero video games alongside developer Harmonix. After Activision acquired RedOctane in 2006, Harmonix went on to make the Rock Band collection, whereas Activision-owned Neversoft was assigned as developer for a number of future titles.
The announcement says RedOctane Video games is targeted “solely on advancing the rhythm sport style,” combining the previous with the long run. The workforce has been in pre-production over latest months—no less than 4, in response to Ebejer’s LinkedIn profile—and has now entered manufacturing on its debut rhythm-based title, which is anticipated to be introduced later this 12 months.
“Rhythm video games are about extra than simply gameplay they’re about really feel, circulate, and connection to the music and to one another,” Ebejer mentioned within the announcement. “RedOctane Video games is our manner of giving again to a style meaning a lot to us, whereas pushing it ahead in new and thrilling instructions.”
Former RedOctane devs already paved the way in which for the brand new studio
In 2023, Embracer Freemode introduced CRKDa collaborative online game {hardware} venture created with Freemode’s expertise incubation lab, which began with a handheld deck for Nintendo Swap. The workforce at CRKD includes nearly all of former Crimson Octane {hardware} designers and producers, and has launched equipment for Fortnite Pageant since.
This 12 months, CRKD introduced a collaboration with Gibson to construct a brand new Les Paul guitar controller appropriate with not simply Fortnite Pageant however current Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games, in addition to community-driven initiatives like Clone Hero. Early this week, the CRKD teased as we speak’s announcement on socials as effectively, with followers theorizing concerning the flame within the emblem, which references the unique RedOctane.
CRKD is becoming a member of a sluggish however regular variety of groups engaged on trendy {hardware} for rhythm video games, together with 2024’s Riffmaster by PDP for Rock Band 4 and Fortnite Pageant and the just lately introduced Drakong InfinaKore Telecaster.
As of current, RedOctane Video games has but to share particulars about how its debut rhythm sport will work. In the case of {hardware}, nonetheless, it appears the workforce will probably be coated.
