Guitar Hero Live Set for Release Later This Year With New Innovations

Written by Brandon Hofer on April 14, 2015

News: Activision has revealed that Guitar Hero is making a comeback this year but things have changed since you last visited this franchise.

Guitar Hero is making a comeback later this year with some pretty interesting changes. It is now called Guitar Hero Live and according to the development it will not be an annual title. Instead it sounds like a platform that will be continually updated, similar to how the new Rock Band is sounding. Developed by FreeStyleGames, the studio behind the critically-acclaimed DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero Live introduces two 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 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 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 favourite 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.

"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 labour 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 live, 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

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.

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.

"There are few gaming franchises that have changed the way gamers play in such a dramatic way as Guitar Hero and we are very excited to see the return in such great style with Guitar Hero Live,” said Martyn Gibbs CEO GAME Digital Plc. “The GAME store teams can't wait to invite audiences and participants -from first time strummer to rock-God - to try out Guitar Hero Live.”

Guitar Hero Live will be available Autumn 2015 on Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U. It will also be available on select mobile devices to be announced soon. What do you think about the return of Guitar Hero? Will you be picking it up? Tell us what you think below.