Forget Prototype, It's Time Activision Revives a Game That Defined the Mid-2000s Era

Prototype fans have cause for excitement for the first time in well over a decade thanks to some remarkable evidence of a remaster, remake, or perhaps even a sequel. The excitement about this prospect shouldn’t be surprising, as the 2009 open-world action game is widely considered one of the most neglected games in Activision’s portfolio.

Murmurs of continued Prototype development first surfaced in Summer 2025, when a Reddit user with the handle Bigbyy leaked information about Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, in addition to claims about a new Prototype game. Although Bigbyy’s Reddit account has seemingly been deleted, the claims they made about Black Ops 7 turned out to be accurate, lending greater veracity to the Prototype assertions. More recently, the 17-year-old game received an update—its first in several years—that broke an unofficial PC patch that made it playable on modern hardware.

More significant than this were the additions to the original game’s credits. Not only do the updated credits refer to a currently nonexistent Ubisoft Connect version of the game, but they also now credit Iron Galaxy Studios, a company known for remakes/remasters of Activision games, such as Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Needless to say, these updated credits all but confirmed Bigbyy’s earlier claims, in the eyes of many. But Activision shouldn’t stop here.

It’s worth noting that Bigbyy’s info about the new Prototype, which they claim they obtained by being part of an Activision study, seems to suggest a full-blown sequel, whereas the recent Prototype update seems to indicate a remake or remaster.

If Activision Is Bringing Back Prototype, It Should Bring Back Guitar Hero Too

Prototype is reminiscent of a very different era for Activision, one where the company was less focused on massive, persistent live-service games and more on single-player or local multiplayer titles. Far more emblematic than Prototype of this Activision era was the Guitar Hero franchise, which any gamer in their mid-20s or older likely remembers fondly. Despite its cultural significance, Guitar Hero and its associated design pillars have been more or less abandoned, and that ought to change.

For the uninitiated, the Guitar Hero games are, at their core, fairly rudimentary rhythm-based games, wherein players must hit buttons in time with popular rock songs to reach the highest score possible. What truly elevated Guitar Hero within the rhythm genre, however, were its peripherals: the games were sold alongside a plastic guitar-shaped controller, upon which there were five buttons roughly correlating to different positions on a fretboard. Additionally, there was a flipswitch to be used with the player’s strumming hand, effectively simulating the basic motions of real guitar playing. Some guitars even had a whammy bar, which could be used to gain extra points. Later entries would also include a drum kit and a microphone, all of which could be used simultaneously with the guitars.

Guitar Hero wasn’t the first game to feature peripherals and themed controllers, but it was far and away the best execution of the idea. While something like Donkey Kong Jungle Beat‘s bongo set was seen as a lackluster, costly gimmick, Guitar Hero‘s approximation of real instruments was inarguably essential to its gameplay experience. Sure, you could play the games with a regular gamepad, but this would defeat the purpose. The tangibility of the toy guitars and drums made the Guitar Hero games unforgettable, but also accessible and appealing to non-gamers. It was a phenomenon similar to Wii Sports: everyone and their grandma wanted a piece of the Guitar Hero craze. It’s about time the industry brought back this sort of whimsy.

Living On a Prayer: The Challenges Facing a Guitar Hero Revival

The best part of Guitar Hero is also the greatest roadblock impeding a new entry. The peripheral devices are crucial to the franchise, but creating them is undoubtedly expensive for both Activision and the consumer. The original 2005 Guitar Hero retailed for just $70 USD, for both the game and the guitar controller, but a modern version of this would likely be more expensive for several reasons, including inflation, higher expected returns for video game investors, and the increasing cost of critical materials like microprocessors and rare earth minerals. It shouldn’t exactly be surprising that Guitar Hero production started to ramp down during the 2008 financial crisis; pre-2008 was a different time for every industry, gaming included.

This is to say nothing of the environmental impact of producing so many new peripherals, which would likely be significant.

How Guitar Hero Might Be Able to Come Back

There are a few potential options for reviving Guitar Hero without the need for expensive, resource-heavy peripheral electronics. VR and AR are always options, though these lack the tangibility that’s so central to Guitar Hero‘s appeal. This wouldn’t be like Beat Saber or Pistol Whip, which were designed with VR controls in mind from the start.

Backwards compatibility with older Guitar Hero controllers, assuming these devices could either be updated or made compatible with modern systems via a dongle or cable, could be a more appealing option. Alternatively, a new Guitar Hero could adapt the gameplay of guitar-learning apps like Rocksmith and Coach Guitar, which would allow players to use real-world instruments, in combination with an appropriately sensitive microphone, as controllers for the game. This could perhaps be combined with VR or AR tech for greater parity with classic Guitar Hero.

Regardless, it’s time to rock with a new Guitar Hero.