Guitar Hero CEO looks to Natal

Guitar Hero CEO explains how his company is looking at a range of new tech, including direct-to-TV gaming, Project Natal and 3D
Guitar Hero CEO explains how his company is looking at a range of new tech, including direct-to-TV gaming, Project Natal and 3D

The CEO for Activision's Guitar Hero brand has told TechRadar that the company is excited about the possibilities for future guitar, pop and DJ games using Microsoft's Project Natal motion control, revealing that Activision is already working with the new body sensing tech

Activision's Dan Rosensweig also talked about the opportunities opening up in new 3D tech and explained more about the thinking behind [Activision CEO] Bobby Kotick's recent comments on direct-to-TV guitars.

"The more ubiquitous gaming becomes, the more places that people want to play it, the more places we want to be," said the Guitar Hero CEO.

"As technology gets cheaper and more interesting – take, for example, something like Project Natal, you can imagine a series of different ways that it might be fun to add that kind of capability to music genre games," he added.

"So yeah, we are working with Microsoft on that. We think that's exciting. And we are working with all the first-party vendors on all the new technologies, because each first party offers something unique.

"Every time there is new technology and new capability, we really do try to be among the first to innovate and leverage it. Natal is something that we find particularly intriguing."

Guitar Hero in 3D?

As for 3D gaming tech, Rosensweig was equally positive, claiming they were trialling the tech: "Our studios see everything first... we see all new technologies.

"Wherever we think the technology is additive, then we try to add it to the game. Wherever we think it is 'technology for technology's sake' then we stay away from it. We evaluate all the time in terms of what new technologies are available."

Rosenweig insisted that potentially controversial plan to introduce a direct-to-TV version of Guitar Hero should not alienate console manufacturers

"Well, we're not in the fighting business, we're in the game playing business," Rosensweig told us. "What we need to do is to be where our fans want to play.

"So we intend to be really positive and great partners of the console players and we have terrific relationships with them now. The experience of the games are great and each console has the ability to create unique experiences within the game.

"But if the capability allows for the expansion of Guitar Hero beyond the console, then of course we will go there, if that is where our fans want to play the game.

"Whether that be direct to the television or on mobile devices, we of course are always looking for ways to create experiences that our fans would really like to take advantage of. "

You can read the full, unexpurgated interview with Guitar Hero CEO Dan Rosensweig right here on TechRadar.

Adam Hartley