Guitar Hero is almost dead, Rock Band too ... why Ubi?
A little more than a month after Activision killed its Guitar Hero franchise, Ubisoft says it will enter the breach with Rocksmith, a video game played with a real electric guitar rather than a plastic replica.
Ubisoft is even negotiating with the likes of Gibson and others to sell a version of the game for about $200 that would come bundled with an electric guitar, people close to the negotiations told The Hollywood Reporter.
When Rocksmith debuts around September, it will come with about 45 songs from the likes of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Nirvana and the Animals.
While comparisons with Guitar Hero are inevitable, Ubisoft cringes at them, pointing out that pushing buttons on a toy is nothing like playing a real guitar.
"Guitar Hero is a party game. Rocksmith is a music experience," Ubisoft senior vp marketing Tony Key said.
Rocksmith, in fact, is part of Ubisoft's continued push into a booming subsector of the industry that it calls "games with benefits." One benefit to Rocksmith, of course, is that you'll learn how to play a guitar, or increase your skills if you already know how.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ubisoft-announces-new-guitar-video-167560
