14 DAY TRIAL // Activision is announcing that it has set up a shop in Sony's Home social space and plans to operate a venue called “Backstage With Guitar Hero,” which is designed to allow the fans of the game to come together and share thoughts, images and videos related to Guitar Hero.
Of course, another idea behind Backstage is to offer upcoming titles, like Guitar Hero: Metallica, a bigger visibility. Expect metal-oriented clothing to come on sale in Home in the coming weeks.
The Backstage With Guitar Hero area is made up of two spaces. There's a backstage lounge where players can hang out and interact and a bigger concert venue that is wired to offer videos related to Guitar Hero and will also host special events that Activision might stage in relation to its music games. Players will be able to get all the information related to Guitar Hero and the regular tracks released for the game that come via the PlayStation Network by going to the Backstage area.
When Home was initially launched in late 2008, after significant delays, it was pretty poor. Now, publishers like Electronic Arts, Activision and, of course, Sony, are using it to create buzz related to new game releases and to offer player communities a place where they can meet and talk about their favorite videogames. Sony is saying that it expects three new themed spaces to appear each week in Home and is showcasing the service as an advantage over the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, which lack their own social spaces.
Activision will shortly release Guitar Hero: Metallica, the latest game in its long running music simulation series, which is set to allow gamers to play tracks coming from the biggest band in metal but also from the bands that influenced it, like Queen. Aerosmith was the first band to have its own game from Activision and Van Halen is set to follow.