“The re-emergence of Guitar Hero and other things would not be possible without the different types of resources,” said Kotick. “And so, you know, just the endless possibilities for the future that are just incredibly exciting.”

The townhall discussion focused quite a bit on the possibilities for Activision Blizzard thanks to Microsoft’s research into various areas of technology, including AI. Kotick has also expressed that he sees “unlimited potential” for studios under Activision.

“A big part of what I’ve seen in Microsoft is research. And they do development in areas that are extraordinary,” said Kotick. “And so being able to tap into their AI and machine learning capability, the data analytics, new ways of thinking about graphics — I just see unlimited potential for what we do. If you look at the new technologies that are on the horizon, we’re going to be able to do things that we’ve never done before with AI and machine learning.”

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been making quite the rounds throughout the year, with legal negotiations with several regulatory bodies taking place all over the world. The acquisition is set to be finalized later this week.

Activision’s successful reboot of the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero Live, will be getting some new fan requested modes as part of its first big update, which is due out soon, and is based on community feedback. A new mode for the game, called Rival Challenges, will be made available in Guitar Hero Live as part of GHTV, and it will involve players going head to head against each other in songs selected by Activision.

Winners of this mode get 100 additional XP points, as well as other bonuses. To play Rival Challenges, follow the following steps, as outlined by Activision themselves:

• To unlock Rival Challenges, you will need to be level 10 or higher. We decided this because once you hit level 10, you will have gained access to Guitar Upgrades and accumulated some Hero Powers, which we think introduces fun and interesting layers of competition.
• Rival Challenges will occur on twice per every half-hour show. The song choices will be picked by us, so you’ll always need to be ready
• Your opponent will be of relatively close skill level, paired with you through our underlying matchmaking technology.
• The winner of each battle earns an extra +100 Status XP, along with bragging rights of course.
• Another bonus is showing off the personalization items you’ve earned in GHTV. When a battle kicks off, both you and your opponent will see each other’s playercard and note highway on screen.

Guitar Hero Live is available now on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate released this past Friday worldwide on Xbox One and PS4 and is already at the top of the charts in the UK according to Gfk Chart-Track. The open world action adventure title has displaced FIFA 16, which had a fairly strong reign at the top since release. It should be noted that sales for the game are the lowest for any main series iteration thus far.

FIFA 16 is still in second place though followed by Guitar Hero Live (also released last week), Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Grand Theft Auto 5. LEGO Dimensions sits at sixth place with Destiny: The Taken King at seventh and Forza Motorsport 6 at eighth place. LEGO Jurassic World continues to see a presence in the top ten several months after its release at ninth and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is in tenth.

It should be interesting to see how Assassin’s Creed Syndicate holds on to its lead considering the release of Halo 5: Guardians this week. Stay tuned for more information on the same.

With just two weeks to go before Guitar Hero Live goes live, Activision and FreeStyleGames has unveiled even more songs that will be included in the full game when it’s finally released. As the company says, this list is comprised of a number of classics that have already appeared in previous versions of the game. Back in May, the developers revealed the first 34 songs that are going to be included in this title.

FreeStyleGames also announced they were rolling out their own Spotify playlist and all the songs in this particular list will be playable in the game. The company says they will be updating the this playlist sporadically as we get closer to the final game release. The songs that were officially unveiled on Friday includes the below.

This is actually a pretty small selection of the songs that are going to be in the final product. Those that are excited for the newest installation of the series can take heart that they’ll be able to play the game on a massive number of different platforms. Guitar Hero Live is set to release on all current consoles as well as mobile platforms iOS and Android on October 20 in the United States and October 23 in Europe.

• Living Colour – Cult Of Personality
• Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Live)
• Ratt – Round and Round
• Slipknot – Before I Forget
• AFI – Girl’s Not Grey
• Warrant – Cherry Pie
• Incubus – Drive
• Faith No More – Epic
• Audioslave – Cochise
• Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
• Queen – We Are The Champions
• Disturbed – Down With The Sickness

Guitar Hero is making a comeback in the coming months with Guitar Hero Live, a reboot of the franchise that includes numerous new features and changes to the original gameplay. Since Gamescom 2015 is this week, developer FreeStyleGames along with Jamie Jackson went behind the scenes to look into Guitar Hero Live’s Premium Shows, content updates for the future and how you’ll go about crooning in the game.

Some of the other changes players can expect include an in-game presentation relying on FMV; Guitar Hero TV which combines multiplayer and curated playlists; and a new guitar controller with a six button set-up. Guitar Hero Live will likely be playable on the Gamescom show floor so stay tuned for more updates and footage from the same later this week.

Guitar Hero Live is currently set to release on PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U and mobiles on October 23rd 2015. Are you looking forward to it? Let us know in the comments.

Details about Guitar Hero Live have been getting slipped out here and there for a little while now. On Tuesday, an official video was unveiled that gives fans of the long running series the best look at the game yet. In particular, the new video gives us a rather detailed look at two ways to play the game. When you boot up the game, you can pick one of these two modes to take on and show off your guitar playing prowess.

The first game mode is the “Live” mode. This particular game mode allows you to play in front of what certainly looks like a live audience at a concert. The second mode is called the “TV” mode. This allows you to play along with some of the best musicians in the world in their favorite videos.

Success in both these modes will apparently allow players to unlock new songs and earn special rewards. Guitar Hero Live launches later this year on PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, and smartphones, check the trailer below and tell us what you think.

Rock Band is not the only classic and beloved music game hit series that is making a comeback this year. Activision’s Guitar Hero will also return in the form of Guitar Hero Live, a clean and fresh reboot of the franchise that also breaks compatibility with previous hardware and software (meaning all your purchased peripherals and songs no longer matter- you’ll have to purchase a new set for Guitar Hero Live).

As for those songs, the first batch of them got revealed today, and it includes everything from The Black Keys, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, and Rage Against the Machine, among other things. The full list of songs, not in any order, is:

• The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling”
• Blitz Kids – “Sometimes”
• Ed Sheeran – “Sing”
• Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
• Gary Clark, Jr. – “Don’t Owe You a Thang”
• Green Day – “Nuclear Family”
• The Killers – “When You Were Young”
• The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
• My Chemical Romance – “Na Na Na”
• Pierce the Veil – “King for a Day (feat. Kellin Quinn)”
• The Rolling Stones – “Paint it Black”
• Skrillex – “Bangarang”
• The War on Drugs – “Under the Pressure”
• Black Veil Brides – “In The End”
• Rage Against the Machine – “Guerrilla Radio”
• Judas Priest – “Breaking the Law”
• Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell”
• Sleigh Bells – “Bitter Rivals”
• System of a Down – “Chop Suey!”
• Alter Bridge – “Cry of Achilles”
• Alt-J – “Left Hand Free”
• Broken Bells – “Leave It Alone”
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground”
• The Pretty Reckless – “Going to Hell”
• Royal Blood – “Little Monster”
• Marilyn Manson – “Disposable Teens”
• Killswitch Engage – “In Due Time”
• Marmozets – “Move Shake Hide”
• Of Mice & Men – “Bones Exposed”
• Deftones – “Diamond Eyes”
• Vista Chino – “Sweet Remain”
• Bring Me the Horizon – “Shadow Moses”
• Mastodon – “High Road”
• Trivium – “Strife”

“We’ve been able to explore some new types of musical style” FreeStyle (the developer that is creating the new game) creative director and studio head Jamie Jackson told Rolling Stone. “Guitar music is broader than it’s ever been – so we’re reflecting that in the range of music on offer.”

Guitar Hero Live launches later this year on PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, and smartphones. Stay tuned.

Freestyle Games and Guitar Hero Games have released a new video that gives players a behind the scenes look into the making of their upcoming music simulation party game, Guitar Hero Live. Jamie Jackson, Creative Director & Studio Head, talks alongside Jon Napier, Director of Projects, to run you through what they have in mind for the game.

Saying that they were “always sure” that the game wouldn’t return until the had seen a “enough of a leap over the previous generation”, they feel that now is the right time to bring the game back with the focus being on the player.

One of the goals of the developers, who are all “huge music fans” is to introduce you, the player, to new music and to that end they’re bringing a vast array of songs and genres to the game. They also talk about the new fretboard on the new guitar which is somewhat more realistic thanks to the better emulation of actual guitar finger placement. Having put their “hearts and souls” into developing the game, they are at least proving to be an enthusiastic developer.

Activision has begun teasing a new game, which many correctly assumed to be a new Guitar Hero. As a new report by Le Monde, a French newspaper, revealed via Yahoo France, the game will be called Guitar Hero Live and sees a ton of new features.

In development by FreeStyleGames of DJ Hero fame, Guitar Hero Live will apparently have a first person perspective. This is in addition to a brand new controller which has two rows of three keys each. Though the report in question has since been deleted, you can check out the cached version here.

The last major Guitar Hero title to release was Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock in 2010. The series saw a decline with numerous offerings and expansions that focused on singular bands and the same gameplay as opposed to any real evolution. Will Guitar Hero Live fix that? We’ll find out in the coming weeks so stay tuned.