Despite Activision dissolving the Guitar Hero franchise earlier this week,developer Harmonix has stated that "the beat ofmarches on".In a post on the officialforums, Harmonix manager of communications John Drake said that the company was "sad to hear yesterday that Activision was discontinuing development on."He added "Our thoughts are with those who are losing their jobs, and we wish them the best of luck."Concerning the future of Harmonix's ownfranchise, he noted that while "the discontinuation ofis discouraging news for fans of the band game genre", Harmonix will continue to invest in the genre."Harmonix andcontinue to push beyond simple performance simulation to pioneer new approaches to music gaming" said Drake. He cited the inclusion of Pro Mode in, along with the upcoming release of the fully functional guitar that doubles up as aPro controller.TheNetwork is also relaunching soon, with support for keyboards, pro drums and vocal harmonies. Drake said that the music genre requires "constant reinvention", and Harmonix are ready to "embrace that call"."In short, the beat ofmarches on." said Drake. "We're continuing to invest in the franchise and the brand that we have built, and will do our best to serve all loyal band game fans."It's been a wild battle of the bands since 2007, but we respect and appreciate all of the hard work and innovation of our peers who have shared the music gaming space with us, and we look forward to rocking in the future." Industry analysts weighed in today on why Activision decided now was a good time to pull the plug on. Eric Handler of MKM Partners said "It had a great run, but it also had a steep fall and the customer demand just isn't there". Harmonix was hit by staff cuts recently, with about 12-15 percent of the studio's staff, which stands at about 240 people, affected by the restructuring.