This morning, Activision Publishing Inc. officially announced the latest installment of its Guitar Hero series, Guitar Hero Live, intended to reflect modern trends in both music and video game consumption. The new game marks the franchise’s return after a five-year hiatus.
Developed by FreeStyleGames Ltd., Guitar Hero Live introduces two new ways to play, including GH Live, a first-person point of view intended to transport players into the skins of real-life rock stars. This style of play simulates the emotional roller coaster of performing in a real band, in front of real crowds, who dynamically react in real-time to the quality of play.
“Could we make a Guitar Hero game that really makes you feel like a rock star?” asked Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, at the launch event, which took place at the Best Buy Theater in New York City. “Could we make a game that actually gives you stage fright?”
As the lead guitarist, players are able to choose from an array of songs spanning the changing musical landscape, in venues ranging from small clubs to outdoor festivals. According to Hirshberg, the sense of realism extends throughout the audience and the player’s virtual band mates: Based on performance, fellow band members either show love or hate; simulated crowd-surfing either goes well or very poorly, etc.
The second mode of Guitar Hero Live is GHTV, a playable music video network with a 24-hour mode, which lets fans play along to a continually updated collection of official music videos. Intended to reflect how streaming video has become a dominant mode for consuming music, the GHTV mode lets players choose from multiple channels, or discover new songs as they play. They can also challenge Guitar Hero Live players from around the world to see who has the highest score on any given song.
The game also introduces a redesigned guitar controller with two rows of three buttons, replacing five colored buttons in a single row. The revamped controller is intended to better reflect the way in which people naturally play the guitar, and makes it easier for beginners to learn, while harder for veteran Guitar Hero players to master. Beginners start out mastering just the bottom three buttons, while medium-level players can skillfully play two-row combinations that mimic real chords.
Arriving at retail this fall, Guitar Hero Live will be available on game consoles PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360, and Wii U. It marks the first installment of the series playable on select tablets and mobile phones; all players have to do is hook their mobile device up to their TV.
“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 Hirshberg. “Guitar Hero is back and better than ever.”
Fans can try the new game at two different Best Buy events scheduled for April 18: at Union Square in New York City, from 1 to 5 p.m.; and in Torrance, Calif., from 1 to 5 p.m.
