Activision announced today a new spin-off in the critically acclaimed Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, due out this summer on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Wii.
The game, which was previously rumoured to be in development last November, aims to celebrate the career of the hugely successful rock band Aerosmith, pitting players in the shoes of the band’s guitarist and bass player.
In addition to a host of tracks from the band themselves, Activision has promised the inclusion of songs from "celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way".
Guitarist Joe Perry commented: "Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us.”
"We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s history."
"Any band that can go from ‘Don’t Want to Miss A Thing’ (Aerosmith’s #1 smash hit) to the ass-kicking ‘Sweet Emotion’ to the cheekiness of ‘Love in an Elevator,’ to the classic ballad ‘Dream On’ shows why Activision chose us to headline this game based on the diversity of the Aerosmith catalog”, added vocalist, Steven Tyler.
"On a larger scale, it’s cool for us to be pioneers helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games”, Perry continued.
"It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats–and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands.
"It’s what’s happening now, and it’s only going to build more momentum in the future. It’s a massive change for the music business."
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is due for release in June 2008.