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Pre-orders of the game will come with three exclusive live recordings by [[Avenged Sevenfold]].<ref>http://loudwire.com/avenged-sevenfold-exclusive-tracks-guitar-hero-live/</ref> According to lead singer [[M. Shadows]], these songs were recorded at the [[Download Festival]] in England and [[Mexico City]].<ref>http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/22/avenged-sevenfolds-m-shadows-talks-bands-involvement-with-guitar-hero-live.aspx</ref> The songs included in pre-orders are "[[Shepherd of Fire]]", "[[Buried Alive (Avenged Sevenfold song)|Buried Alive]]" and "[[Nightmare (song)|Nightmare]]".<ref>http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-premium-tracks-for-guitar-hero-live-announced/</ref>
Pre-orders of the game will come with three exclusive live recordings by [[Avenged Sevenfold]].<ref>http://loudwire.com/avenged-sevenfold-exclusive-tracks-guitar-hero-live/</ref> According to lead singer [[M. Shadows]], these songs were recorded at the [[Download Festival]] in England and [[Mexico City]].<ref>http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/22/avenged-sevenfolds-m-shadows-talks-bands-involvement-with-guitar-hero-live.aspx</ref> The songs included in pre-orders are "[[Shepherd of Fire]]", "[[Buried Alive (Avenged Sevenfold song)|Buried Alive]]" and "[[Nightmare (song)|Nightmare]]".<ref>http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-premium-tracks-for-guitar-hero-live-announced/</ref>


There will be no [[backwards compatibility]] with songs or controllers from previous editions of the franchise; Jackson justified the decision, explaining that ''Guitar Hero Live'' was a "completely new game" that existing content would not work with due to the change in core gameplay.<ref name=eg-ghlive/> Jackson stated that additional songs for the main Live mode may also be available as [[downloadable content]].<ref name="guardian announce"/> With the availability of GHTV, they do not know much how content will be made available for offline play; Jackson of FreeStyleGames considered that it would be more difficult to secure licensing rights for such content, and they consider that offering such would be counter to the "throwaway culture" nature of society today.<ref name="eurogamer fsg"/>
There will be no [[backwards compatibility]] with songs or controllers from previous editions of the franchise; Jackson justified the decision, explaining that ''Guitar Hero Live'' was a "completely new game" that existing content would not work with due to the change in core gameplay.<ref name=eg-ghlive/> There will also not be any traditional [[downloadable content]] for the game in the form of additional songs;<ref name="guardian announce"/> FreeStyleGames will offer new songs that will be included in the channel rotations of the online GHTV mode akin to music services like [[Spotify]] and [[Pandora]], and which players can play on-demand by using in-game tokens.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-10-06-guitar-hero-live-developer-tries-to-explain-its-dlc-model-yet-again | title = Guitar Hero Live developer explains its track DLC model yet again | work = [[Eurogamer]] | first = Tom | last = Philips | date = October 6, 2015 | acccessdate = October 6, 2015 }}</ref> This approach makes it easier to secure licensing rights, and fits in better with the current "throwaway culture" nature of society today according to Jackson.<ref name="eurogamer fsg"/> FreeStyleGames does not expect to make GHTV content available for offline play.<ref name="eurogamer fsg"/>


Confirmed songs so far for the game, including those that will be on-disc and those available through GHTV, are as follows:<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-rolling-stones-green-day-lead-guitar-hero-live-set-list-20150512</ref><ref>http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-guitar-hero-s-first-songs-revealed/1100-6426874/</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-guitar-hero-s-first-songs-revealed/1100-6426874/ | title = New Guitar Hero's First Songs Revealed | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = April 24, 2015 | accessdate = May 17, 2015 | work = [[Gamespot]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://theherofeed.com/guitar-hero-live-tracklist/ | title = Guitar Hero Live Tracklist | date = April 14, 2015 | accessdate = May 17, 2015 | work = TheHeroFeed }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-12-guitar-hero-live-reveals-24-songs | title = Guitar Hero Live reveals 24 song setlist | date = May 19, 2015 | accessdate = May 19, 2015 | publisher = [[Eurogamer]] | first = Jeffrey | last = Matulef }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/26/10-more-guitar-hero-live-songs-revealed | title = 10 more guitar hero live songs revealed | first = Jordan | last = Sirani | date = May 26, 2015 | accessdate = May 26, 2015 | publisher = IGN }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-new-guitar-hero-tracks-weezer-queen-wolfmothe/1100-6427760/ | title = More New Guitar Hero Tracks: Weezer, Queen, Wolfmother, and More | first = Justin | last = Haywald | date = June 2, 2015 | accessdate = June 2, 2015 | publisher = [[Gamespot]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://m.ign.com/videos/2015/06/16/guitar-hero-live-riffing-on-alter-bridges-addicted-to-pain | title = Guitar Hero Live - Riffing On Alter Bridge's "Addicted to Pain"| date = June 16, 2015 | accessdate = June 16, 2015 | publisher = IGN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://blog.activision.com/community/games-blog/guitar-hero/blog/2015/06/16/guitar-hero-live-launching-october-20-in-north-america-20-new-tracks-announced | title = Guitar Hero Live Launching October 20 in North America, 20 New Tracks Announced | first = Scott | last = Lowe | date = June 16, 2015 | accessdate = June 16, 2015 | publisher = Activision }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-guitar-hero-live-songs-confirmed/1100-6428882/ | title = More Guitar Hero Live Songs Confirmed | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = July 14, 2015 | accessdate = July 14, 2015 | publisher = Gamespot }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/08/05/gamescom-2015-16-new-guitar-hero-live-songs-revealed?utm_source=IGN%20hub%20page&utm_medium=PS4&utm_content=7&utm_campaign=Blogroll | title = Gamescom 2015: 16 New Guitar Hero Live Songs Revealed | first = Brian | last = Albert | date = August 5, 2015 | accessdate = August 5, 2015 | publisher = IGN }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pearl-jam-lamb-of-god-haim-songs-added-to-guitar-h/1100-6430382/ | title = Pearl Jam, Lamb of God, Haim Songs Added to Guitar Hero Live Lineup | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = August 8, 2015 | accessdate = August 9, 2015 | publisher = Gamespot }}</ref>
Confirmed songs so far for the game, including those that will be on-disc and those available through GHTV, are as follows:<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-rolling-stones-green-day-lead-guitar-hero-live-set-list-20150512</ref><ref>http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-guitar-hero-s-first-songs-revealed/1100-6426874/</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-guitar-hero-s-first-songs-revealed/1100-6426874/ | title = New Guitar Hero's First Songs Revealed | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = April 24, 2015 | accessdate = May 17, 2015 | work = [[Gamespot]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://theherofeed.com/guitar-hero-live-tracklist/ | title = Guitar Hero Live Tracklist | date = April 14, 2015 | accessdate = May 17, 2015 | work = TheHeroFeed }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-12-guitar-hero-live-reveals-24-songs | title = Guitar Hero Live reveals 24 song setlist | date = May 19, 2015 | accessdate = May 19, 2015 | publisher = [[Eurogamer]] | first = Jeffrey | last = Matulef }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/26/10-more-guitar-hero-live-songs-revealed | title = 10 more guitar hero live songs revealed | first = Jordan | last = Sirani | date = May 26, 2015 | accessdate = May 26, 2015 | publisher = IGN }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-new-guitar-hero-tracks-weezer-queen-wolfmothe/1100-6427760/ | title = More New Guitar Hero Tracks: Weezer, Queen, Wolfmother, and More | first = Justin | last = Haywald | date = June 2, 2015 | accessdate = June 2, 2015 | publisher = [[Gamespot]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://m.ign.com/videos/2015/06/16/guitar-hero-live-riffing-on-alter-bridges-addicted-to-pain | title = Guitar Hero Live - Riffing On Alter Bridge's "Addicted to Pain"| date = June 16, 2015 | accessdate = June 16, 2015 | publisher = IGN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://blog.activision.com/community/games-blog/guitar-hero/blog/2015/06/16/guitar-hero-live-launching-october-20-in-north-america-20-new-tracks-announced | title = Guitar Hero Live Launching October 20 in North America, 20 New Tracks Announced | first = Scott | last = Lowe | date = June 16, 2015 | accessdate = June 16, 2015 | publisher = Activision }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-guitar-hero-live-songs-confirmed/1100-6428882/ | title = More Guitar Hero Live Songs Confirmed | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = July 14, 2015 | accessdate = July 14, 2015 | publisher = Gamespot }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/08/05/gamescom-2015-16-new-guitar-hero-live-songs-revealed?utm_source=IGN%20hub%20page&utm_medium=PS4&utm_content=7&utm_campaign=Blogroll | title = Gamescom 2015: 16 New Guitar Hero Live Songs Revealed | first = Brian | last = Albert | date = August 5, 2015 | accessdate = August 5, 2015 | publisher = IGN }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pearl-jam-lamb-of-god-haim-songs-added-to-guitar-h/1100-6430382/ | title = Pearl Jam, Lamb of God, Haim Songs Added to Guitar Hero Live Lineup | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = August 8, 2015 | accessdate = August 9, 2015 | publisher = Gamespot }}</ref>

Revision as of 15:26, 6 October 2015

Guitar Hero Live
Developer(s)FreeStyleGames
Publisher(s)Activision
SeriesGuitar Hero
Platform(s)PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Wii U
Xbox 360
Xbox One
iOS
Release
Genre(s)Rhythm
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Guitar Hero Live is an upcoming music video game under development by FreeStyleGames and to be published by Activision for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in October 2015.

The game will serve as a reboot of the Guitar Hero franchise, being the first new entry in the series since Warriors of Rock in 2010. Guitar Hero Live will introduce major changes to the core gameplay and experience of the Guitar Hero franchise, including a revamped guitar controller with a new, 6-button layout, a new in-game presentation style that utilizes full motion video, simulating a real-world concert setting from the perspective of the guitarist, and a new Guitar Hero TV mode to encompass multiplayer and curated playlists in the style of television music channels.

Gameplay

Guitar Hero Live follows similar gameplay to previous installments in the series, requiring players to use a guitar-shaped controller with buttons and a strum bar to match notes on a scrolling "highway" corresponding to notes played in a song, which is presented over live-action, first-person footage of a band's lead guitarist at a rock concert. In contrast to the previous five-button design, the Guitar Hero Live controller features six buttons arranged into two rows of three. The frets are represented by three scrolling lanes on-screen, containing either black or white notes representing the two rows. Lower difficulty levels will only use one row of buttons, while higher difficulties may include "chords" that use a combination of buttons from both rows.[2][3] The game will typically map out power chords to use the top row of buttons, while modifications of those chords will include others from the bottow row.[4] As the notes scroll down the screen, the player is award points for correcting fingering the correct note or chord and strumming at the proper time. The player can gain an increasing scoring multiplier by successfully hitting a consecutive series of notes, but this multiple disappears if the player makes a mistake. The player's performance is also judged by the virtual crowd; missing too many notes will cause the crowd to start to boo the band, and too many missed notes may cause the song to end prematurely, and require the player to try the song again. Similarly, the crowd will cheer and applaud if the player maintains a successful performance.

The game will also include vocals, allowing players to sing along in tone with the song's lyrics.[5] There are no present plans to include other instruments such as bass guitar or drums in the title, with Jackson stating that the game is "all about guitars".[6]

The main story mode will be a single-player experience; the Guitar Hero TV (GHTV) mode will serve as a free play mode with multiplayer support, offering the ability for players to play songs individually or in curated "channels" focusing on different genres of music. The mode will also perform background matchmaking, allowing players to compete against others on the same channel online in real-time. GHTV uses music videos rather than the filmed concert footage used in the main storyline.[7][6]

Previous games in the series used "Star Power" as a means for players to boost scores; Star Power would be earned by playing marked sections of the note track correctly, and could then be released for a short period by tilting the guitar controller or hitting a special button on it, which would increase the current scoring multiplier. In Guitar Hero Live, this feature is replaced by "Hero Powers" which will only be available in the GHTV mode. Prior to a song, the player will be able to use in-game money to purchase one of several Hero Powers which they can deploy during the song similar to Star Power, improving their score and performance. Hero Powers include temporary boosts in scoring multipliers, ability to clear all notes for a short distance on the track, or to increase or decrease the density of notes.[8]

The game will also be playable via an app on mobile devices that supports the guitar, providing "[the] full game in an uncompromised way". Among confirmed platforms for this version is fourth-generation Apple TV.[7][9]

Guitar Hero TV

In addition to songs that will be shipped on disc, additional songs will be introduced to the game through Guitar Hero TV (GHTV); Jackson explained that the feature and its curated playlists were "about discovering music as much as it is about going and finding music you know you already like".[7] Activision's Hirshberg stated that GHTV was developed as a better means to provide new songs to players through a round-the-clock content platform, rather than relying on scheduled downloadable content, allowing the company to provide a much larger quantity of songs.[10][6][7] Activision's Tyler Michaud stated that there will be "hundreds at launch on day one in GHTV alone".[11]

On starting the Guitar Hero TV mode, the player will be given a choice of a number of themed channels, which broadcast playable songs curated programs similar to a radio broadcast. One such channel will also always present new songs that have been added to Guitar Hero TV. Songs in Guitar Hero TV will be played over the music video for the song or live concert footage of the band playing the song, instead of the custom visuals for the main single player game. The player can pick up and play on any song that is being shown, but they will also be able to use in-game credits to replay a specific song outside of the channel's rotation.[12]

There will also be a part of the Guitar Hero TV series called GHTV Premium. Here, the player will compete asynchronously with other players as to attempt to reach the highest score, as well as to complete rotating challenges set by Activision that often require the player to complete other songs offered on Guitar Hero TV, or by using in-game credits.[13] By falling into the highest scoring brackets, completing these challenges, and also completing goals in the single-player portion of the game, the player will earn in-game rewards, such as a reskinning of the guitar fret display, as well as in-game credits. In-game credits can also be purchased via microtransactions, though the developers have stated that Premium mode can be completed without having to purchase credits. The developers also plan to add the ability to buy an access pass that allows full access to all of GHTV's features for a limited period of time without having to spend additional credits.[12]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Guitar Hero Live will span across a diverse selection of genres, the developers recognizing that challenging guitar tracks are not strictly limited to rock music.[14] The game's soundtrack will include songs by The Black Keys, Blitz Kids, Ed Sheeran, Fall Out Boy, Gary Clark, Jr., Green Day, The Killers, The Lumineers, My Chemical Romance, Pierce the Veil, The Rolling Stones, Skrillex, and The War on Drugs.[14] One song included in the announcement press demo was Fall Out Boy's "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark".[6]

Pre-orders of the game will come with three exclusive live recordings by Avenged Sevenfold.[15] According to lead singer M. Shadows, these songs were recorded at the Download Festival in England and Mexico City.[16] The songs included in pre-orders are "Shepherd of Fire", "Buried Alive" and "Nightmare".[17]

There will be no backwards compatibility with songs or controllers from previous editions of the franchise; Jackson justified the decision, explaining that Guitar Hero Live was a "completely new game" that existing content would not work with due to the change in core gameplay.[2] There will also not be any traditional downloadable content for the game in the form of additional songs;[6] FreeStyleGames will offer new songs that will be included in the channel rotations of the online GHTV mode akin to music services like Spotify and Pandora, and which players can play on-demand by using in-game tokens.[18] This approach makes it easier to secure licensing rights, and fits in better with the current "throwaway culture" nature of society today according to Jackson.[19] FreeStyleGames does not expect to make GHTV content available for offline play.[19]

Confirmed songs so far for the game, including those that will be on-disc and those available through GHTV, are as follows:[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]

Song Artist(s)
"According to You" Orianthi
"Also Am I" 36 Crazyfists
"American Idiot" Green Day
"Another is Waiting" The Avett Brothers
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" Jet
"Asleep at the Wheel" Band of Skulls
"Bangarang" Skrillex featuring Sirah
"Been Away Too Long" Soundgarden
"Before He Cheats" Carrie Underwood
"Best Day of My Life" American Authors
"Bitter Rivals" Sleigh Bells
"Bones Exposed" Of Mice & Men
"Breaking the Law" Judas Priest
"Buddy Holly" Weezer
"Bulls on Parade" Rage Against the Machine
"Chop Suey!" System of a Down
"The Clincher" Chevelle
"Club Foot" Kasabian
"Come On Over" Royal Blood
"Come with Me Now" Kongos
"Coming of Age" Foster the People
"Cool Kids" Echosmith
"Counting Stars" OneRepublic
"Cowboys from Hell" Pantera
"Cry of Achilles" Alter Bridge
"Deliver Us" In Flames
"Demon Dance" Surfer Blood
"Demon to Lean On" Wavves
"Diamond Eyes" Deftones
"Disposable Teens" Marilyn Manson
"Don't Owe You a Thang" Gary Clark, Jr.
"Down with the Sickness" Disturbed
"Everybody Talks" Neon Trees
"Famous" Charli XCX
"Feel So Close" Calvin Harris
"The Final Episode" Asking Alexandria
"Freak on a Leash" Korn
"Ghost Walking" Lamb of God
"Girls/Girls/Boys" Panic! at the Disco
"Going to Hell" The Pretty Reckless
"Gold on the Ceiling" The Black Keys
"Got the Time" Anthrax
"Gravedigger" Architects
"Guerrilla Radio" Rage Against the Machine
"Hangar 18" Megadeth
"Harlem" New Politics
"A Heartbreak" Angus & Julia Stone
"High Road" Mastodon
"Higher Ground" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Ho Hey" The Lumineers
"Hold Back the River" James Bay
"I Gotsta Get Paid" ZZ Top
"I Have a Problem" Beartooth
"In Due Time" Killswitch Engage
"In the End" Black Veil Brides
"Kathleen" Catfish and the Bottlemen
"King for a Day" Pierce the Veil feat. Kellin Quinn
"Lazerray" TV on the Radio
"The Lazy Song" Bruno Mars
"Leave It Alone" Broken Bells
"Left Hand Free" alt-J
"Let Her Go" Passenger
"Lies" Deap Vally
"Limelight" Rush
"Little Monster" Royal Blood
"Lived a Lie" You Me at Six
"The Looking Glass" Dream Theater
"Love Bites (So Do I)" Halestorm
"Lust for Life" Iggy Pop
"Metal Zone" The Vines
"Mind Your Manners" Pearl Jam
"Moaning Lisa Smile" Wolf Alice
"More Than a Feeling" Boston
"Move Shake Hide" Marmozets
"My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" Fall Out Boy
"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" My Chemical Romance
"No Shows" Gerard Way
"Now" Paramore
"Nuclear Family" Green Day
"The Ocean" Tonight Alive
"Paint It Black" The Rolling Stones
"Pedestrian at Best" Courtney Barnett
"Right Back at It Again" A Day to Remember
"Rimbaud Eyes" Dum Dum Girls
"Rise Up" Cypress Hill feat. Tom Morello
"The Rock Show" Blink-182
"San Francisco" The Mowgli's
"Sex on Fire" Kings of Leon
"Shadow Moses" Bring Me the Horizon
"Sing" Ed Sheeran
"Sirens" Pearl Jam
"Sometimes" Blitz Kids
"Sounds Like Balloons" Biffy Clyro
"Stone" Alice in Chains
"Strife" Trivium
"Sundial" Wolfmother
"Sweet Remain" Vista Chino
"Take a Walk" Passion Pit
"Temper Temper" Bullet for My Valentine
"Thunder Kiss '65" White Zombie
"Thunder on the Mountain" Bob Dylan
"Tie Your Mother Down" Queen
"Time to Pretend" MGMT
"Tragedy + Time" Rise Against
"Tribute" Tenacious D
"Under Cover of Darkness" The Strokes
"Under the Pressure" The War on Drugs
"What Doesn't Kill You" Jake Bugg
"When You Were Young" The Killers
"The Wire" Haim

Development

Background, aborted reboot

Rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band had been widely popular during 2005 to 2008, but due to oversaturation of the market and the onset of the 2009 recession, the rhythm genre suffered major setbacks, and the genre's popularity had quickly waned.[32] Sales of the previous instalment Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock were below estimates. The NPD Group reported 86,000 units sold in the United States across all platforms for the last five days of September during which it was available. This figure fell below the initial sales of the previous games, such as 1.5 million and 500,000 units in first-week sales for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero World Tour, respectively.[33][34] Combined sales in North America of Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2 were below one million in 2010, 63% below the total sales of Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, and Band Hero in 2009.[35] Weak sales of Warriors of Rock, in part, led to Activision cancelling a planned 2011 sequel, and shuttering the Guitar Hero franchise.[36][37]

In a July 2011 interview with Forbes.com, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stated that they were going to try to "reinvent" the series,[38] but a former teammember of Vicarious Visions has stated that as of 2012, all development of Guitar Hero has come to an end within Activision.[39] Another source close to Vicarious Visions had reported to Kotaku that while Guitar Hero 7 was in development under an Activision studio, the game was considered a "disaster".[40]

The cancelled game omitted the additional instruments and used only a guitar peripheral, redesigning the unit to include a 6-button mechanism replacing the strum bar; the resulting unit was considered too expensive to manufacture and purchase.[40] The developers had started from scratch to try to create new characters and venues that would be more reactive to the actual songs being played, to give the feel of a music video, but ultimately this proved too much of a challenge and had to be scrapped.[40] Further, with a limited budget, the song selection was limited to "low-budget" hits of the 1990s, or at times reusing songs that had previously been included in Guitar Hero games.[40] Though the team had a two-year development cycle, it was closed down after Activision president Eric Hirshber had seen the current state of the project at the one-year point.[40]

As Guitar Hero Live

Guitar Hero Live utilizes a new presentation style incorporating live-action footage from the perspective of the guitarist, rather than 3D stages and characters.

In February 2015, rumors surfaced that new entries in both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises for eighth generation consoles were in development; Harmonix announced Rock Band 4 On March 5, 2015.[41][42] On April 14, 2015, Activision officially announced a reboot of the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero Live, was under development by FreeStyleGames.[7]

In an interview with Fortune magazine, Activision's CEO of Publishing Eric Hirshberg found that even after five years without a game, the Guitar Hero brand still enjoyed high social media attention, with over 10 million followers on the Guitar Hero's Facebook page.[10] However, Hirshberg stated that Activision realized they needed to reinvent the series so that consumers would not consider it much the same as previous games and to help sway those that were turned off by the earlier saturation of music games.[10]

The task of developing the new game was given to FreeStyleGames around 2012. FreeStyleGames had developed both DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2, and while both games were critically praised, the latter was released on the downward trend of the music game genre.[19] FreeStyleGames had suffered some layoffs as a result of the hiatus of the Guitar Hero series, though remained an Activision studio and successful due to their work for the Wii U Sing Party. As the development of Sing Party wrapped up, the studio created an internal research and development department to begin brainstorming what their next game would, with input from Activision. Hirshberg had encouraged the team to reconsider Guitar Hero, noting the fan dedication to the series, but noted that the game needed innovation to be successful.[19] Activision giving the team freedom to develop the game without relying on the previous titles in the series.[6] The core gameplay of Guitar Hero Live was rebuilt from scratch; developer Jamie Jackson explained that the goal of the game was to bring "big innovation" to the franchise rather than continue with the same format used by previous games. He explained to his staff to only "think of [Guitar Hero] as a name. Think of it as a music game with a guitar peripheral, but pretend that nothing else has ever been done."[3] The team brainstormed on what had made the Guitar Hero series fun, and recounted the earlier titles of the series which were designed to enable the player to envision themselves as a superstar guitarist, subsequent design choices were made around recreating that experience. The team also cited fellow Activison franchise Call of Duty as an influence towards the goal of providing an immersive, first-person experience.[6][3]

Though FreeStyleGames experimented with other options including a controller-less game, camera and motion detection, and social-based games, but recognized quickly that the guitar controller was a key part of the series' success.[19] The developers recognized they wanted to have a guitar controller that players would not be embarassed to have in their living rooms and spent time getting the look of the controller accurate to a real guitar.[19] The design of the game's guitar controller was overhauled; instead of using the traditional row of five colored frets used by previous Guitar Hero games, Live utilizes a new design with six frets arranged into two rows of three, designated by black and white-colored notes in-game. Jackson explained that the new layout was meant to make the game easier for new players, as the three-button layout avoids the need to use one's pinkie finger, a difficulty they recognized new players had on the traditional five-button controller.[6] The layout was also designed to provide a new challenge to experienced players, including more realistic simulations of chords.[2][3] The choice to use only three buttons also came from statistical analysis of past games, where about 80% of the players would never player harder than the Medium difficulty level which only used the first three buttons on the previous five-button controllers.[19] The initial controller iterations, presented both in-studio and to Activision, were met with skepticism but they found that players quickly adapted to the new scheme as an improvement over the older controllers.[19]

The Bolt tracking camera (on left) was used to capture the other band actors and audience members to create the live-action footage for the game.

The game itself is presented in a more realistic and immersive style; the rendered stages and characters of previous games are replaced by full motion video, shot from the first-person perspective of the lead guitarist, simulating real-world concert settings. The video footage is dynamic, and can transition between versions featuring positive or negative reactions by the crowd and band members based upon the player's performance.[3] The first-person footage utilizes session musicians as actors playing the remaining members of the band, and is filmed using a Bolt robotic camera system, programmed to simulate the motions of a guitarist on stage. The Bolt ran along a 30 feet (9.1 m) track, and was able to move and turn quickly, mimicking the speed of a musician's movements. Prior to filming with the Bolt, an actor outfitted with motion and position detectors acted out the song with the other band actors; these movements were recorded and then used to direct the Bolt as it replaced the actor in subsequent takes. To avoid injury to the other actors from the motions of the camera, the routines were all choreographed based on the camera's motions and used as cues for the other actors.[43] To enable smoother transitions between positive and negative versions of the band footage, multiple takes were performed for each song using the same camera motions.[3] Groups of 200 to 400 actors were filmed using a green screen to construct crowds; using varying takes and other editing techniques, the groups of actors could be made to cover much larger areas. To simulate larger crowds, these shots were superimposed on a combination of live footage from actual rock concerts and 3D models constructed by FreeStyleGames.[4] The effects studio Framestore helped with editing and assembling the digital live-action footage.[19] Positional audio effects are also used as part of the footage, varying the volume of certain instruments depending on how close the player is to them on-screen in the footage.[7][2][3]

Ten different bands represent the songs in the "Guitar Hero Live" mode.[44] To help with creating appropriate stage presence for the fictional bands and their fans, FreeStyleGames created material that each band would have had in the band's career, such as album covers and clothing, using various musical genres to help inspire their designs.[4]

Guitar Hero Live was considered to be a game that can be expanded upon in the future through content patches, as opposed to released new titles each year which had previously led to the music genre decline in 2009.[19] Features like Guitar Hero TV were designed to allow them to provide new music without having to secure more stringent music licensing rights.[19] FreeStyleGames found that this mode attracted the attention of bands who were eager to offer their music for it; the bands saw GHTV as comparable to the marketing that music television channels had done in the 1980s and 1990s, putting the imagery of the band at the player as they played along.[4] The game was designed so that new game modes can be offered as part of content patches.[19]

Marketing and promotion

On April 14, 2015, Hirshberg and Jackson invited Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance to promote the game. Wentz performed his band's song "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" in the Guitar Hero Live mode, while Way and Jackson dueled each other on My Chemical Romance's song "Na Na Na".[45] A commercial for the game was revealed in October 2015, starring Lenny Kravitz and James Franco.[46]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sirani, Jordan (July 14, 2015). "Another Batch of Guitar Hero Live Songs Revealed". IGN. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Guitar Hero Live skips backwards compatibility as it reboots series". Eurogamer. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Krupa, Daniel (April 14, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live Wants to Give You Stagefright". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Walton, Mark (2 October 2015). "From DJ Hero to Guitar Hero: How Freestyle is making rhythm games sexy again". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ^ Kato, Matthew (August 3, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live Singers Wanted: Guitar Hero Live Adds Vocals". Game Informer. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Stuart, Keith (April 14, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live: how a UK developer re-envisioned the music gaming legend". The Guardian. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Crecente, Brian (April 14, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live Aims to Reshape a Beloved Rhythm Game for a New Generation". Polygon. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. ^ Makuch, Eddie (July 7, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live Sees Star Power Return, But With a New Name and More Features". Gamespot. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  9. ^ Whitehead, Dan (September 10, 2015). "Guitar Hero, Skylanders and Geometry Wars 3 coming to Apple TV". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Gaudiosi, John (April 28, 2015). "This $3 billion game franchise crashed and burned five years ago—but now it's back. Here's why". Fortune. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Shae, Brian (April 18, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live's GHTV To Feature 'Hundreds' Of Songs At Launch". Game Informer. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Kamen, Matt (June 18, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live's GHTV mode explained". Wired UK. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  13. ^ Ramsey, Randolph (July 23, 2015). "What Are Guitar Hero Live's Premium Shows All About?". Gamespot. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  14. ^ a b Kalmari, Luke (April 14, 2015). "Activision Announces Guitar Hero Live with 2015 Release Date". IGN. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  15. ^ http://loudwire.com/avenged-sevenfold-exclusive-tracks-guitar-hero-live/
  16. ^ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/22/avenged-sevenfolds-m-shadows-talks-bands-involvement-with-guitar-hero-live.aspx
  17. ^ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-premium-tracks-for-guitar-hero-live-announced/
  18. ^ Philips, Tom (October 6, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live developer explains its track DLC model yet again". Eurogamer. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |acccessdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Robinson, Martin (September 29, 2015). "Don't stop the music: Why Guitar Hero is making a comeback". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  20. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-rolling-stones-green-day-lead-guitar-hero-live-set-list-20150512
  21. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-guitar-hero-s-first-songs-revealed/1100-6426874/
  22. ^ Makuch, Eddie (April 24, 2015). "New Guitar Hero's First Songs Revealed". Gamespot. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  23. ^ "Guitar Hero Live Tracklist". TheHeroFeed. April 14, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  24. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (May 19, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live reveals 24 song setlist". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  25. ^ Sirani, Jordan (May 26, 2015). "10 more guitar hero live songs revealed". IGN. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  26. ^ Haywald, Justin (June 2, 2015). "More New Guitar Hero Tracks: Weezer, Queen, Wolfmother, and More". Gamespot. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  27. ^ "Guitar Hero Live - Riffing On Alter Bridge's "Addicted to Pain"". IGN. June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  28. ^ Lowe, Scott (June 16, 2015). "Guitar Hero Live Launching October 20 in North America, 20 New Tracks Announced". Activision. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  29. ^ Makuch, Eddie (July 14, 2015). "More Guitar Hero Live Songs Confirmed". Gamespot. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  30. ^ Albert, Brian (August 5, 2015). "Gamescom 2015: 16 New Guitar Hero Live Songs Revealed". IGN. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  31. ^ Makuch, Eddie (August 8, 2015). "Pearl Jam, Lamb of God, Haim Songs Added to Guitar Hero Live Lineup". Gamespot. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  32. ^ Caoili, Eric (2011-03-01). "Harmonix: Dance Central Outselling Rock Band 3". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
  33. ^ Quillen, Dustin (2010-10-13). "Analyst: Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Sales Disappoint in September". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  34. ^ Ivan, Tom (2010-10-15). "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock makes 'fairly dreadful start'". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  35. ^ Meer, Alec (2011-01-26). "Cowen predicts "blowout quarter" for Activision". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
  36. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2011-02-09). "Activision kills Guitar Hero". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  37. ^ Dutton, Fred (2011-02-09). "Acti explains Guitar Hero, True Crime cul". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  38. ^ Ewalt, David (2011-07-20). "Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick: How To Be An Innovator". Forbes. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  39. ^ Thompson, Mike (2012-02-22). "Activision Smashes Guitar Hero Reboot Plans". Escapist. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  40. ^ a b c d e Tolito, Stephen (2012-12-05). "Guitar Hero 7 Was Going To Have Six-String Guitars, No Drums, No Singing. Was Cancelled In 2011". Kotaku. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  41. ^ "Can Rock Band/Guitar Hero Be Successful Again? Analysts Weigh In". GameSpot. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  42. ^ "Rock Band 4 is coming, and Harmonix is bringing it back to basics". Polygon. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  43. ^ Martin, Garrett (28 September 2015). "Somebody's Watching Me: Behind the Robot Camera of Guitar Hero Live". Paste. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  44. ^ http://www.gamespresso.com/2015/08/13/guitar-hero-live-features-only-10-fictional-bands/
  45. ^ Spanos, Brittany (April 15, 2015). "Pete Wentz, Gerard Way Add Starpower to Splashy 'Guitar Hero' Launch". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  46. ^ Dornbrush, Jonathan (October 4, 2015). "James Franco warns Lenny Kravitz about rocking out in Guitar Hero Live commercial". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
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