True Crime: Hong Kong, Guitar Hero 7 Cancelled

Activision is looking to trim some fat from their 2011 line-up. They've decided to stop development on two high-profile games.

"Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011," reads Activision's latest financial report. "The company also will stop development on True Crime: Hong Kong. These decisions are based on the desire to focus on the greatest opportunities that the company currently has to create the world's best interactive entertainment experiences."

TC: HK was announced at the Spike Video Game Awards at the end of 2009. We didn't hear much about it since then. I think the last bit of news on it was a delay announcement this summer. When a game is kept under such tight wraps, it's never a shock when the axe falls.

What IS surprising, though, is the prospect of a full year without a new Guitar Hero. Back in 2009, Activision released five GH games for consoles. Today's news, coupled with Viacom's decision to sell off Harmonix in December, will be ample material for countless "Is the music game genre dead?" articles.