Activision Blizzard has pulled the plug on its venerable franchise GUITAR HERO, writes The Hollywood Reporter. The move will result in approximately 500 layoffs at the company. The decision is based on a drop in music game sales, a genre HERO helped popularize, and an increase in the licensing fees for music.

GUITAR HERO III was the first game to make a $1 billion. The Washington Post reported that artists featured in the game could see sales swings between 15% to 843%.