In the mid-2000s, it was a genuinely safe assumption that most were aware of the massive success that the Clone Hero indie project.
While the first two Guitar Hero games catapulted the franchise into the mainstream, Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock cemented its place as one of the must-have games to play at the time. It was the first Guitar Hero game to release on all platforms, which made it available to the largest audience the series had seen, and the game exploded as a result. Guitar Hero became a staple at countless arcades and college parties, so it was only a matter of time before a sequel entered development.
The development of the Guitar Hero franchise was shifted over to Neversoft after Harmonix, the developers of the original Guitar Hero games, was purchased by Viacom. Harmonix then started work on Guitar Hero's most popular competitor, Rock Band. Since Rock Band challenged Guitar Hero by offering players the option to jam out on either drums, guitar, bass, or vocals, Guitar Hero added the same features to the rest of Guitar Hero's sequels to remain relevant.
However, this had a negative impact on the music game market. Both Rock Band and Guitar Hero now came bundled in huge boxes filled with plastic guitars and drums, and this made each game not only expensive to purchase, but also to manufacture. All kinds of developers were seeking to get their share of the music game craze, so spin-off titles like DJ Hero and Band Hero started flooding the market alongside the plethora of Rock Band and Guitar Hero games.
Not only did this eat up a large amount of shelf space as previously mentioned, but this also overloaded many potential customers with too many options. The hype laid down by Guitar Hero 3 had already faded, and the market imploded with an absolute overabundance of music games and accessories. Many games like Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed have near yearly release schedules, but these titles don't require customers to purchase expensive controllers that are only compatible with a few games, and they are also more clearly marketed and distinguished from other games in their respective franchises and genres. Guitar Hero Live and Rock Band 4 were the latest efforts to bring the genre back after a lengthy break, but since the developers of both titles have yet to say anything about new installments, it may be a while before the next Rock'n'Roll inspired music game hits the market.