Activision just announced Guitar Hero: Aerosmith for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii, the first game built around the legendary music of the American Rock ‘N Roll Band with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. The music rhythm game’s release date is set for June 2008. It puts players in the shoes of Perry (guitar), Whitford (guitar) and Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside frontman Tyler and drummer Kramer. Gamers will experience Aerosmith’s Grammy winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty, in a way that no other entertainment vehicle offers.
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is being developed by Neversoft for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The Wii version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PS2 version is being developed by Budcat. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith brings these rock legends to the interactive realm. As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith’s greatest hits, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way. Venues from historical moments during the band’s illustrious career offer the experience of “sweet emotion” and further capture the essence of the band’s rise to fame.
To celebrate this collaboration, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock fans will have the opportunity to download and jam to Aerosmith’s 1973 song “Dream On.” The song will be available for free from February 16-18 on Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Store for the PS3. Don’t forget we’re giving away Guitar Hero 3 for the system of your choice in our Guitar Hero 3 competition!
“Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us,” says Joe Perry. “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.”
Steven Tyler says, “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. Not only is songwriting a bitch, but then it goes and has puppies.”
Perry adds, “On a larger scale, it’s cool for us to be pioneers helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games. 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.”
“We are extremely excited that Aerosmith chose to team up with Guitar Hero, bringing one of the world’s all-time best-selling artists together with one of the biggest video game brands, to deliver a new and unique interactive way for our customers to connect with artists and their music,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Activision/RedOctane. “This partnership will give Aerosmith, a band that has sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, a powerful and innovative platform to reach their fans and new audiences.”