SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guitar Hero, the pop culture phenomenon that exploded onto the scene and brought a new way to interact with music, is back, with true, breakthrough innovation that will re-ignite your dreams of becoming a rock star. Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) today announced Guitar Hero Live, introducing a brand new generation to Guitar Hero, which upon its release became the quickest console franchise in video game history to reach one billion dollars in sales in North America and Europe, and was played by over 40 million players. Developed by FreeStyleGames, the studio behind the critically-acclaimed DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero Live introduces two powerful ways to play, including GH Live, a first-person point of view where you are up on stage as the star of the show. A quantum leap forward in immersion and realism, GH Live is a live-action experience that delivers the full emotional roller coaster of being on stage and performing in a real band, in front of real crowds, who dynamically react in real-time to how well or poorly you play. As the lead guitarist, you play an array of songs that span the changing musical landscape, in a variety of venues, from the smallest club stage in front of a hundred people, to the massive main stage of an outdoor festival in front of a hundred thousand people.
“Guitar Hero Live lets people rock real crowds with real reactions. Our goal was literally to give people stage fright. And with GHTV, we have created the world’s first playable music video network. All of it is playable on consoles, or mobile devices. Guitar Hero is back and better than ever.”
Guitar Hero Live also introduces GHTV, the world’s first playable music video network. GHTV is a 24-hour mode that lets fans play along to a continually-updated collection of official music videos – across a wide variety of genres – from the newest releases to favorite hits. Fans can pick from multiple channels and themed shows, discovering new songs as they play, and can also choose songs to play on-demand. In GHTV, fans can also play with their friends in the same room and against players from around the world to see who has the highest score on a given song, while completing challenges along the way. GHTV is a living, breathing platform that serves as an ever-growing source for new music discovery while further bringing the party atmosphere back to the living room.
The breakthrough innovations in Guitar Hero Live also extend to mobile. Both GH Live and GHTV are fully playable both on consoles as well as tablets and mobile phones. More exciting details will be announced in the near future.
“Guitar Hero is a franchise that so many people love. Figuring out how to bring it back with true breakthrough innovation has been years in the making, and a labor of love,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “Guitar Hero Live lets people rock real crowds with real reactions. Our goal was literally to give people stage fright. And with GHTV, we have created the world’s first playable music video network. All of it is playable on consoles, or mobile devices. Guitar Hero is back and better than ever.”
Guitar Hero Live enhances the gameplay experience by introducing a modern, redesigned guitar controller, featuring two rows of three buttons that better reflects the way people naturally play. The new format ensures fun for players of all abilities. For beginners, you can feel like a rock star by mastering play with just the bottom three buttons. Medium-level players don’t have to stretch their fingers down the neck of the guitar controller anymore and can instead skillfully play two-row combinations that mimic real chords. Experienced players have a new challenge in creating complex chord-like shapes and finger combinations that will bring new thrills to veterans. This simple innovation makes it easier for beginners to play and harder for veterans to master.
Music variety is at the heart of the game. Guitar Hero Live takes the approach of the modern music festival, with rock, folk, EDM, hip-hop, country and pop acts sharing the same stage. The game will feature hundreds of playable songs from a diverse array of artists, including The Black Keys, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Gary Clark, Jr., Green Day, Ed Sheeran, The War on Drugs, The Killers, Skrillex, The Rolling Stones, The Lumineers, Carrie Underwood, Pierce the Veil and Blitz Kids, with many more bands to be announced in the coming months.
“We are pleased to support the launch of Guitar Hero Live, building on one of the most successful music video-game franchises of all time, and providing our artists with a fun and interactive experience for their fans,” said Bruce Resnikoff, President of Universal Music Enterprises.
Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance are joining Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg and Jamie Jackson, Creative Director and Co-Head of FreeStyleGames, on-stage at the Best Buy Theatre on April 14th to showcase their songs featured in Guitar Hero Live and celebrate the reveal of the game.
“Guitar Hero changed the game – literally,” said Chris Koller, Vice President of Gaming for Best Buy. “And we are excited to bring Guitar Hero Live to consumers on April 18th at Best Buy stores in New York City and Torrance, California, where fans will be able to play the new game for the first time in North America.”
Eager fans can test out their skills at the following Best Buy locations:
- April 14, 2015: Best Buy Theatre, New York City, 6pm – 9pm
- April 18, 2015: Best Buy Store, Union Square, New York City, 1pm – 5pm
- April 18, 2015: Best Buy Store, Torrance, CA, 1pm – 5pm
Guitar Hero Live will be available Fall 2015 on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii U™ console and select mobile devices to be announced soon.
Starting today, fans can begin pre-ordering their copy of Guitar Hero Live at select retailers worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.guitarhero.com, www.facebook.com/GuitarHero, www.youtube.com/guitarhero or follow @guitarhero on Twitter and Instagram. Watch the debut trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SnIZgESm4c.
About Activision Publishing
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about Guitar Hero Live™, including with respect to its feature, gameplay and playability, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
ACTIVISION, FREESTYLEGAMES, GUITAR HERO and GH are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. “PlayStation” and “PS3″ are registered trademarks. “PS4″ is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
