Activision Plans Aerosmith Version of Guitar Hero

Frederick Lane, newsfactor

Activision, publisher of the enormously popular computer game Guitar Hero, will release a special version of the game built entirely around the music of the band Aerosmith in June. The game will play on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and Playstation 2.

The band, formed nearly 40 years ago in Boston, has often been touted as "America's greatest rock and roll band." According to Activision, the group has sold 150 million albums, has been inducted into Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has won four Grammy awards. The release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith coincides with the group's work on a new studio album.

"Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us," guitarist Joe Perry said. "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."

From Saturday through Monday, owners of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock can download one of Aerosmith's most popular songs, Dream On, for use on either the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3.

Boosting the Music Industry?

Some 20 years ago, Aerosmith's music video for its smash hit Walk This Way received saturation-level time on the recently founded MTV cable channel. Music companies and groups were initially skeptical that MTV would amount to much, but quickly found a strong correlation between video broadcasts and album sales. Now it looks like music video games like Guitar Hero are having a similar effect.

Savvy Move for Aging Rockers

On balance, the partnership probably benefits Aerosmith more than Activision. Although Aerosmith has done a remarkable job maintaining its relevance from its bar-band roots through AARP membership, there's no question that Guitar Hero has become a cultural phenomenon. According to figures compiled by the NPD Group, the game was the all-time champion in units sold and dollars earned in a single calendar year (2007) and, along with the game Rock Hero, outsold digital music last year by $100 million.

Clearly, the pending release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith gives the band a chance to expose a new generation to its music while potentially driving additional album sales or track downloads. And it gives Activision an interim release while its fans await Guitar Hero IV.

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