GUITAR HERO® LIVE BRINGS YOUR ROCKSTAR FANTASY TO LIFE
Two Revolutionary Gameplay Modes, GH Live and GHTV, Usher in the New Era of Music Games as Guitar Hero Live Arrives on Store Shelves Today
Hundreds of Songs in the Game on Day One, with More Tracks Added Every Week
Play Solo or with Friends on Two Guitar Controllers and with a Microphone to Sing Along with the Action
Guitar Hero Live Available on Consoles and iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at launch with Apple TV Version Later This Year
Sydney, Australia October 21, 2015 – Guitar Hero is back! Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), yesterday announced the pop culture phenomenon that captured the hearts of 40 million players across the globe was officially available at retail stores nationwide with the completely reinvented Guitar Hero Live. Developed by FreeStyleGames, the critically acclaimed studio behind DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero Live introduces a radically improved guitar controller, hundreds of songs and two brand new ways to play: GH Live, a first-person point of view where you play in front of a real crowd that reacts to how you perform, and GHTV, the world’s first playable music video network.
“Guitar Hero is one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time, and now, after years of research and development, it’s back, totally reinvented, and better than ever with Guitar Hero Live,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “The experience of being up on stage, in first person, playing in front of a live crowd that responds to your performance in real time, will put your heart in your throat. And GHTV, which lets you play along to your favourite music videos will keep the game fresh with a continuous stream of new content. We’ve poured our hearts and souls into Guitar Hero Live and we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on it. It’s going to be awesome.”
Activision and FreeStyleGames are also bringing the Guitar Hero Live experience to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at launch and Apple TV later this year. The mobile version of the game is available as a bundle with a guitar controller that works across Apple devices, letting fans live out the rockstar experience anytime, anywhere.
Each mode of the game delivers a new take on the music game genre. An unparalleled leap in rockstar realism, GH Live is a live-action experience that delivers the full emotional roller coaster of being on stage, with players performing in a real band, in front of real crowds, who react in real time to how well or poorly you play. Shot live with musicians performing in front of real crowds, GH Live delivers the raw excitement and stage fright that comes with owning the stage in front of thousands of cheering – or jeering – fans.
GHTV is a revolutionary new way to play Guitar Hero. The 24-hour playable music video network lets fans play along to a continually-updated collection of official videos, from the newest releases to favourite hits. GHTV is a living, breathing platform that will launch with hundreds of songs and will continue to grow, with new songs added weekly, serving as an ever-expanding source for music discovery while bringing the party atmosphere back to the living room. In GHTV, fans can play along with different channels of music or choose to play one of hundreds of songs on demand. Fans can win fame playing solo or with their friends in local head-to-head multiplayer, and online against other players trying to master the same song. And simply by plugging in a USB mic, players can sing along to the music in both GH Live and GHTV with lyrics displayed on screen.
GHTV also includes Premium Shows, which highlight premium playable content such as live concert footage, debut music videos in the platform and more. Starting today, fans can experience the GHTV premiere of the Avenged Sevenfold Premium Show, including playable concert footage recorded at the band’s recent headlining performance at England’s venerable Download Festival. Players will also be awarded with a custom Avenged Sevenfold themed note highway and player card. Activision is also giving fans a chance to get in the game by submitting clips of themselves performing Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Sing” through the musical.ly app, with winners being featured in a world premiere music video that will be playable in the game. Fans can visit www.guitarhero.com/ghtvstar for more information.
Guitar Hero Live also introduces a new guitar controller that features six buttons: two rows of three buttons that better reflect the way people naturally play and deliver more fun for players of all abilities. This simple innovation makes it easier for beginners to play and harder for veterans to master. Additionally, fans can sing along in the game, complete with lyrics on screen, adding another way to play together in the same living room.
Guitar Hero Live takes a fresh take on the music styling of rhythm games. The celebrated tracklist includes hundreds of songs at launch, including the music of The Rolling Stones, The Black Keys, Queen, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fall Out Boy, Pearl Jam, Bruno Mars, Weezer, Iggy Pop, Alt-J, Jet, ZZ Top, Rage Against the Machine, Megadeth, The Strokes, Royal Blood, Ed Sheeran, Gary Clark Jr., and many more. The full list, which will be continually updated, can be found at https://www.guitarhero.com/game/artists.
Guitar Hero Live is now available as a one-guitar bundle ($149.95 RRP) or two-guitar bundle ($199.95 RRP) in Australia and on 23 October in New Zealand 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 as well as iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and later this year on the new Apple TV. For more information, please visit http://www.guitarhero.com, www.facebook.com/GuitarHero, www.youtube.com/guitarhero, or follow @guitarhero on Twitter and Instagram.
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 and is a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), an S&P 500 company. 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 launch date, features, 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.
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