When GameDaily BIZ first heard the rumor that RedOctane would be dropping Harmonix and appointing development duties to Neversoft for the next iteration in the wildly popular Guitar Hero franchise, we were a bit surprised to say the least. When we broke the news earlier this week, it no doubt shocked fans of the series around the world.

Understandably, there's a lot of concern among those in the gaming community about RedOctane's decision to hand development over to Neversoft. How will the Tony Hawk developer maintain, or better yet improve, the cherished Guitar Hero property? And why did RedOctane make this move to begin with? After all, this has been Harmonix's baby from the start and it's certainly been a successful formula for RedOctane/Activision. Guitar Hero II was the fifth best selling game in the U.S. for all of 2006.

We tracked down RedOctane's Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing, to get some answers. Check out our Q&A below.

GameDaily BIZ: We'll start with the obvious. Why is Neversoft developing the next Guitar Hero instead of Harmonix? Did Harmonix want to do something else or was this a RedOctane/Activision decision to keep things in-house?

Dusty Welch: Internalizing development allows for more control of the creative elements of the game and, in this instance, provides for a much more robust and feature laden franchise. We believe that having the talented group at Neversoft, with their unprecedented string of market success with the billion dollar Tony Hawk franchise, develop the next Guitar Hero game will allow us to vastly enrich the consumer experience. We are excited to further the music and rhythm-based videogame genre, and Neversoft has the full experience, knowledge, and talent to do this.

BIZ: Some believe that because Harmonix was acquired by MTV, that had something to do with this Guitar Hero move. Any truth to that?

DW: We have tremendous respect for, and greatly appreciate, everything that Harmonix has done for the Guitar Hero franchise. Their vision has always aligned with ours from the start. In looking toward the future, we believe it was a natural and neutral decision for us to look at other opportunities. We look forward to partnering with Neversoft's development team, and can't wait to show our fans what we have in store for them.

BIZ: What guidelines will you give Neversoft for developing the next Guitar Hero?

DW: Neversoft has a long-standing and trusted reputation for developing great games that appeal to our core target demographic, and we're definitely excited they're on board! We have an incredible fan base and the popularity of the franchise continues to grow exponentially. Neversoft's talents and extensive experience working within the skateboarding and music culture are already adding tremendous value to Guitar Hero's core tenet of fulfilling the fantasy of becoming a rock star.

BIZ: Upon hearing the news, some fans became concerned that putting the franchise in the hands of Neversoft would affect its quality. What can you tell them to allay their fears?

DW: We believe that Neversoft will take Guitar Hero to a new level and are dedicated to creating the most exciting gaming experience possible. We all religiously read the message boards and forums, and everything that we implement into the game comes directly from our fans suggestions.

BIZ: Anything you can say about the rumored '80s edition yet?

DW: We are fully dedicated to, and currently focused on the production of Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360. There have not been any announcements, or further information, on any future titles beyond this.

BIZ: As part of the recruitment process, are you looking to hire/keep on board some of the same musicians that helped with the first Guitar Hero games?

DW: WaveGroup Sound conducts all of the hiring and recruiting process for tracking the songs, and they have done an amazing job thus far! We do not see any reason why we shouldn't continue working with them, as they've helped to significantly sculpt and influence the Guitar Hero brand.

BIZ: Will the next Guitar Hero be brought to all platforms and is there a rough release date planned yet?

DW: We have not announced any plans to bring the franchise to any other next-gen platform beyond the Xbox 360.

BIZ: Some would say that Guitar Hero follows a pretty simple formula, such that it would be quite difficult for Neversoft to screw things up. How would you rate the scale of development difficulty on Guitar Hero games?

DW: Guitar Hero is about feeling like a rock star, and getting the experience of playing to an audience that you can't get anywhere else outside of actually playing the real instrument. The biggest parts of that experience are the songs and playability and the unique and seamless marriage between the hardware and software. Until rock n' roll is dead, there will always be further opportunity for Guitar Hero to take it up another notch, and we look forward to Neversoft helping us get to the next level.

BIZ: Thanks, Dusty. We're eager to see how the franchise progresses with Neversoft.

Note: We also asked about what effect Harmonix patents might have on development, and what (if any) crossover there might be between the Tony Hawk team and the new Guitar Hero team, but Dusty unfortunately could not respond to those questions.

If you crave more Guitar Hero coverage check out our recent Chart Toppers column on the success of the second installment.