Autumn McClain  |  May 13, 2020

Category: Legal News

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Activision Guitar Hero Live is no longer live.

When Activision first released Guitar Hero in 2005, it quickly became a national phenomenon. But by 2009, the Activision Guitar Hero craze had mostly ended. Versions of the game released in the late 2000s flopped so badly that the series was largely abandoned. That is until Activision Guitar Hero Live was released in 2015.

Guitar Hero Live brought with it an updated controller (still shaped like a guitar, like the original) and a new approach to offering content to Guitar Hero consumers via streaming service. However, this new method of delivering content was abandoned by Activision in 2018, at which point those who had purchased Guitar Hero Live lost a whopping 92 percent of the content of the game. Polygon reports that, in response, a man who bought the game less than a year before the service was shuttered, filed a class-action lawsuit that led to refunds for those who had purchased Activision Guitar Hero Live.

What Is Guitar Hero Live?

Guitar Hero Live was Activision’s attempt to revitalize the Guitar Hero game franchise. Like the original Guitar Hero, the game was sold with a plastic guitar-shaped controller with an updated layout of six buttons on three frets. Activision Guitar Hero Live offered 42 playable tracks on the disk, but the true attraction was meant to be Guitar Hero TV, the online gaming mode of Activision Guitar Hero Live.

Guitar Hero TV was an online streaming service offered by Activision that allowed players to access another 484 playable tracks. This means this streaming service contained 92 percent of all playable content for the game. Players of Activision Guitar Hero Live could also purchase in-game currency, “Hero Cash”, to use to gain access to exclusive content. Without Guitar Hero TV, players can still access the game’s 42 on-disk tracks, but any left over Hero Cash can only have been used with the online service.

Why Did Guitar Hero TV Shut Down?

Activision Guitar Hero Live was a long-shot for the company from the first. Video Game Chartz reports that, in its first week, Guitar Hero Live sold an estimated 218,000 copies. Compare this to the 600,000 copies of Guitar Hero sold in its first week, as reported by Vox. The dismal sales numbers meant Activision would need to reconsider the money needed to keep the online service running. But this doesn’t explain why the sales were so poor in the first place.

According to EuroGamer, players may have been less willing to invest in the peripherals for the game, namely the specially made controllers. The game also did away with its predecessors’ style, instead opting for a first-person perspective and live audience. The game also didn’t allow for backward compatibility, meaning it couldn’t be used with old controllers or run pre-existing content, and the online portion and other aspects couldn’t be accessed from older consoles that the game was offered on, making many gamers hesitant to shuck out more cash.

Activision Guitar Hero Live is no longer live.Were You Misled into Making a Purchase?

Those who’ve written about the controversy surrounding Activision Guitar Hero Live often repeat a claim that was made by Activision at the time: Guitar Hero TV would be “an always-on music video network… running 24-hours a day, seven days a week.”. However, once it became clear that the game wasn’t selling as well as expected, Activision soon abandoned the service.

A lawsuit brought against the company by a man who purchased a copy of the game in 2017 alleges that the company used false marketing to lead buyers to “reasonably expect that Activision would not subsequently eliminate [their] ability to use the vast majority” of the game’s content. The motion was brought against Activision by Robert Fishel in late 2018. By Jan. 22, 2019, the motion was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice. This means Fishel could potentially sue Activision again over the same allegations.

Can You Get an Activision Guitar Hero Live Refund?

Many have speculated that refunds were offered for Activision Guitar Hero Live in an effort on the company’s part to settle Fishel’s suit. Polygon reports that Activision began offering refunds for their game in 2019. To qualify, consumers needed to have bought the game in the U.S. between Dec. 2017 and Jan. 2019.

The deadline to file a claim was May 1, 2019. As the game’s official website states, customers could submit either a receipt or credit card statement as proof of purchase but said they would also attempt to verify purchases for customers without any documentation.

If you failed to submit a claim during the period specified above, it’s unlikely that you will receive a refund without taking legal action, possibly in the form of an Activision Guitar Hero Live lawsuit.

Should You File an Activision Guitar Hero Live Lawsuit?

There are several issues to take into account if you are considering filing an Activision Guitar Hero Live lawsuit. First, a lawsuit that was brought against the company in the past pushed them to offer refunds. Similar litigation has the potential to be equally meaningful. Second, the deadline to file a claim for a refund through Activision’s voluntary refund program came in 2019. If you would like to seek compensation or damages against the company for their actions, civil action is one of your only options. Third, Fishel’s lawsuit against Activision was voluntarily dismissed. This means that no court has made a judgment on the justification or evidence in this case.

Lastly, there are likely many consumers who purchased Activision Guitar Hero Live who never received a refund or learned of their ability to ask for one. A class-action lawsuit brought against the company could involve a large number of class members lending more credence to the allegations against them.

If you purchased a copy of Activision Guitar Hero Live expecting the online streaming service to be available for more than three years, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the company to win compensation.

Join a Free Guitar Hero Live Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you played or had an online account to play Guitar Hero Live, you may qualify to join this Guitar Hero Live class action lawsuit investigation.

Get a Free Case Evaluation

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.

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One thought on Were You Misled into Buying Activision Guitar Hero Live?

  1. Darrell Stewart says:

    Pls Add Me

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