Harmonix ditches guitar for new game

Oct 31, 2007

The first details have been spilled on Rock Band and Guitar Hero creator Harmonix' next project, which will apparently leave the dedicated peripherals of its previous titles behind.

The info comes from a Game Developers Conference 08 session listing for senior designer Chris Foster, in which he'll discuss the challenges of leaving the beat-matching formula of Guitar Hero behind.

The new game, says the listing, will adopt a system where beats are not authored by tech-savvy musicians, but instead are "algorithmically generated" (which means it'll be a bit more dynamic, we think), and the game will lack the dedicated peripherals that were critical to the success of Guitar Hero.

In the GDC session Foster apparently "pries apart the company's standard beatmatch design, and explores how each element had to evolve, or be discarded, in order to make the new project a success."

Special attention, says the listing, is devoted to the development of procedural gameplay algorithms, unique input mechanics and "triaging unexpected changes in scope and schedule." Right.

GDC 2008 is set to go down in San Francisco in February. Only a few months more to wait until we know what the hell they're talking about, then.

Courtesy of CVG.