Well, rock bands reform all the time – so why shouldn’t musical video games? Computer games company Activision has announced plans to revive ‘Guitar Hero’ with new technology, a simplified interface and an update look.

‘Guitar Hero Live’ will be the first instalment in the main series of the hit franchise since 2010’s ‘Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’. At its peak, ‘Guitar Hero’ generated more than $1 billion in annual revenue, but Activision mothballed the game after later titles saw a drop in sales as gamers grew tired of fake plastic guitars, cancelling a planned release for 2011.

AARAll American Rejects at the launch of 'Guitar Hero: World Tour' in 2008 - the franchise turned sour soon after this game

According to the Los Angeles Times, the new game will ditch the multi-coloured buttons and avatars and instead try to recreate the feeling of a live concert – creative director of FreeStyleGames Jamie Jackson said the goal was to give the player “stage fright”. The player's first-person view will allow them to see the whites of the eyes of the front row.

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Another revolution will be the flexibility with which it can be played. Instead of the buttons all the way down the neck, there will be six buttons clustered at the top of the guitar’s neck that are playable with just three fingers. Jackson claimed that the inspiration for this ergonomic shift was from watching people ‘air guitar’.

Finally, there’s the creation of ‘GHTV’, a twenty four hour interactive channel that allows players to face off against each other worldwide. Activision’s product manager Tyler Michaud indicated that this feature would essentially play along to music videos, which would be streaming on the channel.

‘Guitar Hero Live’ will be playable on televisions through mobile devices for those who don’t own a game system. It will also get a release on Sony Playstation 4 (and PS3), Microsoft Xbox One (and Xbox 360) and the Nintendo Wii U.

While its release date is unconfirmed, it is believed that it will be available in time for Christmas.

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