In a bit of surprising news today, RedOctane Games has announced its establishment as a new studio within Embracer Freemode. Those familiar with the Guitar Hero franchise will be keenly familiar with the name as Red Octane was the manufacturer of the famous guitar controllers for its namesake franchise. This time, RedOctane is jumping into game development, and former key staff members from Guitar Hero and DJ Hero will lead the studio.
In a press release from the studio, RedOctane Games states that its team includes creators and developers “who helped create and scale Guitar Hero and DJ Hero.” It will also be acquiring “emerging development talent and community leaders from across today’s rhythm gaming space.” Simon Ebejer, the former production director of multiple Guitar Hero games from Neversoft will lead the new studio. He also served as the studio head at Vicarious Visions until it was integrated into Blizzard Albany in 2021. If that wasn’t enough, Guitar Hero franchise founders Charles and Kai Huang will be joining a special advisory board to help guide future projects.
Ebejer said, “Rhythm games are about more than just gameplay; they’re about feel, flow, and connection to the music and to each other. RedOctane Games is our way of giving back to a genre that means so much to us, while pushing it forward in new and exciting directions.” You can read more about the studio on its official website.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
