Neversoft took over future Guitar Hero development after Harmonix left the series. The change followed Harmonix’s acquisition by MTV Games in 2006, while Activision acquired RedOctane and the Guitar Hero business.
Activision chose Neversoft, the studio best known at the time for the Tony Hawk’s skateboarding games, to lead the next major phase of Guitar Hero. Neversoft developed Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero 5, and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, along with several related releases.
The studio was an especially enthusiastic choice: Neversoft founder Joel Jewett reportedly told RedOctane’s founders that members of the Tony Hawk team played Guitar Hero together on weekends. The studio helped expand the series from a guitar-focused game into a broader band experience with drums and vocals.
Neversoft did not develop every later version. Vicarious Visions handled important Wii and Nintendo DS work, and FreeStyleGames developed Guitar Hero Live. That later history can cause confusion, but Neversoft was the studio that first replaced Harmonix for the main series.