Activision sees Call of Duty's success falling in line with Guitar Hero's heyday, eases worries of the same fate

“Isn’t Call of Duty today just like Guitar Hero was a few years back?” - Activision publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg

That’s part of an internal memo sent around to Activision’s employees, as part of a question and answer sheet. Here’s the answer that followed, also from Hirshberg…

“This is a great question and one we have thought about a lot. But there are several key differences between the two franchises worth considering. Guitar Hero quickly reached incredible heights, but then began a steady decline. Call of Duty, on the other hand, has steadily grown every single year of its seven-year existence. Guitar Hero was a new genre which had incredible appeal, but which had not stood the test of time. Call of Duty exists in a genre–first person shooters–that has shown remarkable staying power and wide appeal over a period of decades. Plus, Call of Duty has inspired a massive, persistent, online community of players, making it perhaps the ’stickiest’ game of all time.”