In the time-honored tradition of taking something that's hugely successful and milking it for every last cent possible, the Guitar Hero game franchise continues to expand, according to a pair of articles in Billboard.
Perhaps the most exciting of the developments is Guitar Hero Van Halen, which seems like a lay-up in the way Guitar Hero Metallica was. Details are sketchy, except that the game is due in the second half of 2009 and will also feature tracks by The Offspring (huh?), Blink-182 (juh?), Weezer (eh), and Queens Of The Stone Age (cool). Activision, the makers of Guitar Hero, should have their hands full when it comes to avatars of Halen's numerous present and former members.
Also in the works: DJ Hero, whose controller Gizmodo previewed this week, which is the franchise's first foray into "hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance," according to a press release; Band Hero, a more family-oriented version of Guitar Hero World Tour that focuses on top-40 music; and Guitar Hero 5, which offers more of the usual stuff—though players will be able to change members and difficulty in songs on the fly.
As far as crossing platforms goes, the first Billboard piece has some vague and non-committal quotes from Activision CEO Bobby Kotick saying, "It might make for a good TV show or a good concert tour." Considering Guitar Hero's march to conquer the world, both sound pretty likely. The question now, though, is when will people get sick of it?