Activision and Line 6 Announce Full Line 6 POD Guitar Technology Integration into Guitar Hero World Tour Music Studio
For the first time ever, video game players will have access to the same guitar processing technology used by professional musicians
Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Line 6, Inc. announced today that Guitar Hero World Tour for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Playstation 3 computer entertainment system will integrate Line 6's guitar tone technology, enabling gamers to use amps, cabs, and effects from the world-renown Line 6 POD in the game's Music Studio. The game's innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to compose, record, edit and share their own rock 'n' roll anthems.
The sound modeling technology of Line 6's POD is integrated into Guitar Hero World Tour's Music Studio so gamers can now join the ranks of elite POD using bands including, U2, Radiohead, Keane, Muse, Nine Inch Nails, Story of the Year, Slipknot, Dashboard Confessional, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Garbage, Lenny Kravitz and countless others.
"With Guitar Hero World Tour's new Music Studio functionality, we wanted to give gamers access to the most authentic music creation tools available, so we went to the pacesetters of professional guitar technology—Line 6," said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Activision/RedOctane. "The integration of Line 6 technology in the game underscores our commitment to delivering unprecedented innovation to the Guitar Hero franchise that has the potential to revolutionize consumer generated music.���
The signature sounds of legendary bands and top musicians today come from a combination of guitar amps, cabs and effects. Through digital signal processing, POD delivers accurate emulations of the most coveted amplifiers, effects and cabinets ever made. It is famous for revolutionizing the way guitarists record, perform, rehearse, and write songs. It eliminates the need for complicated setups with its proprietary technology for simulating the complex interaction of amplifiers, effects, microphones, speaker cabinets and room acoustics. Whether POD is used with headphones to practice, for direct recording or playing live, POD is what musicians turn to for the best guitar sound.
"Line 6 strives to push the boundaries, from revolutionizing the way guitarists record to how they perform live to helping enable the creative process for musicians," said Marcus Ryle, Line 6 Founder and SVP of Research and Development. "Thanks to the incredible processing power of the of the next generation video game consoles, we placed the actual tone algorithms right into the game to give gamers the tools to choose their own sounds for the music they create. For the first time, gamers will have the ability to compose and record with the same technology used by professional musicians."
A preview of Music Studio featuring exclusive screenshots, amp presets and content is available at www.line6.com/GH.
Guitar Hero World Tour using Line 6 guitar tone technology is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Playstation 3 computer entertainment system. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit www.guitarhero.com.
About Line 6, Inc.
Based in Calabasas, California, Line 6 is a leading manufacturer of guitars, amplifiers, effects, effects processors and recording interfaces. Line 6 is world renowned for its studio- and stage-standard gear featuring its patented digital modeling and digital wireless technologies. Line 6 invented digital guitar amp modeling technology in 1996, and is currently the #1 maker of guitar amplifiers. Its award-winning products, including POD, are used by musicians worldwide and have been used on countless platinum and Grammy award winning titles. Line 6 is distributed in over 60 countries with operations in the United States, China and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.line6.com.
About Activision, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $2.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008.
Activision 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 and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.