Guitar Hero Franchise Expanding To Multiple Formats

Activision has confirmed that upcoming editions of the riotously popular Guitar Hero franchise will be made available for multiple unspecified platforms in 2007. The company's chairman and CEO Robert Kotick made the announcement during his keynote speech at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia XV Conference, noting that Guitar Hero will be released "on every significant new format." In addition, the company also plans to release yearly expansions alongside additional updates to other key Activision properties. Guitar Hero II is expected to be released for the PlayStation 2 on November 7. Activision purchased Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane for $99.9 million earlier this year, making RedOctane a wholly owned subsidiary of the major publisher. At the time, the company noted that the move was made in order to "provide Activision with an early leadership position in music-based gaming, which the company expects will be one of the fastest growing genres in the coming years." The original Guitar Hero has been frequently referenced by game professionals as one of their favorite titles of 2005, and has gone on to achieve to both critical and commercial success. Its forthcoming sequel will include a new track list, new venues and additional play modes – including the ability to transform the original Guitar Hero SG Controller into a rhythm, lead or bass guitar. The Guitar Hero 2 song list will pull from a mix of classic rock, ‘hair’ metal, heavy metal, modern rock, and alternative titles, and more than 55 songs will be featured in the next installment, although a complete list of included tracks has yet to be released.