HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Legendary rockers Aerosmith will be the focus of a brand new "Guitar Hero" game, Activision Inc announced on Friday.
The new game will feature roughly 30 Aerosmith songs, in addition to music from various acts that have opened for the band over the years.
"The premise is that it's going to cover the 30-plus years of the band, from high school all the way through the rock superstardom of today," Kai Huang, head of Activision's RedOctane unit, which guides development of the franchise, told Reuters in an interview.
Since its original release in late 2005, the "Guitar Hero" series has surpassed more than $1 billion in sales.
Focusing on a single band is a new direction for the franchise, which has traditionally focused on dozens of artists across music genres ranging from classic rock, grunge, metal, punk and more in the past.
"It's just a completely new way to interact with this music and with Aerosmith, and we think there's more opportunity to do that in the future," Huang revealed.
The new direction is likely a response to "Rock Band," a rival game by Viacom Inc unit MTV and Electronic Arts Inc, which is Activision's chief competitor.
Aerosmith was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970 and is known for such hits as "Dream On" and "Sweet Emotion." They are the top-selling American rock band of all time, having sold 150 million albums worldwide, including sales of 66.5 million albums in the United States alone.
Huang said the band was eager to work together with Activision. "They recognize that it can deliver their music in an innovative and new way," he said. "It's a new distribution platform for them."
"Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" will arrive in stores this summer.
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