The “Break it Down” Blog

Given that we have been ontop of this Guitar Hero: World Tour thing like flies on… a picnic sandwich, we had to cover Logitech’s co-announcement with Activision that they will be producing “premium instruments” for the Guitar Hero: World Tour release on all 3 consoles starting later this year.

No details are known yet about exactly which instruments will get the pro-league treatment and what exactly the changes will be.

Given what Rock Band 2 is doing with the premium Ion Drum Kit, the writing on the wall is that these game franchises are moving away from “mock simulation” to “simulation” to appeal to real players of the chosen instruments.

I’m really pumped about this move, not because I play any instruments, but because I think that was a market mostly unmoved by the idea of “fake playing” real instruments just for a virtual crowd and online fun. If these games keep their roots founded in casual play and expand into meeting the needs of real rockers I just see the market appeal of both expanding.

The extensions to the drums and guitar are obvious (maybe the inclusion of a bass guitar?) but I’m really curious what can be done with vocals… maybe add a synthesizer board at some point? Who knows.

Full Announcement after the jump…

Full Announcement:

Santa Monica, Calif and FREMONT, Calif. — July 31, 2008 — Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVID) and Logitech International (SWX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced a collaboration to develop and market premium instrument controllers for Guitar Hero® World Tour, the latest installment of the world’s best-selling music-based video game franchise, which ships this fall for the Xbox 360™ video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Nintendo Wii™.

Logitech plans to offer premium instruments for each of these platforms, the first of which will be available later this year. Logitech’s products will be compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour’s advanced feature set, allowing players to elevate their Guitar Hero® jam sessions to full-fledged rock concerts.

“Logitech is the leading producer of peripheral devices and the company is widely considered to be the gold standard for innovation and quality peripheral products,” said Charles Huang, vice president business development for RedOctane. “With Logitech, we know we have found the right partner who can deliver top-quality premium hardware that consumers have come to expect from Guitar Hero.”

“As huge fans of Guitar Hero®, we are very excited about the opportunity to bring the Logitech experience to the Guitar Hero franchise,” said Bruce Lancaster, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s gaming business. “A few years ago, Logitech refined the consumer steering wheel market with high-end controllers that enhance racing games. Now we are looking forward to elevating the market for premium music-based video game controllers in a similar fashion.”

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Activision Publishing maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision Publishing and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Thanks Logitech!