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   It's been a busy year so far for both RedOctane and Harmonix, full of announcements, rumours, lawsuits and what not. Earlier this month, Guitar Hero II was finally released on the Xbox 360, hot on the heels of Harmonix' announcement of a new music game called Rock Band - headed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in holiday 2007. But while the latter will evolve the concept by allowing players to form virtual bands (using drum, bass guitar, lead guitar and microphone peripherals), RedOctane remains dedicated to Guitar Hero's one-man-show idea.
"I would say that the beauty of Guitar Hero is its simplicity and its elegance, and when we think about adding other musical instruments in there, that's going to make the experience a lot of fun, but it can also make the game a little bit more complex," RedOctane president and co-founder Kai Huang told Eurogamer in an interview published today.    Huang also said they are evaluating other types of instrument-based games, as well, and a "Drum Hero" game may soon become a reality. But until they make any such announcement, Gamasutra has word from RedOctane's representatives (speaking at an event in London) that the upcoming Guitar Hero III will be focused on online play - both co-op and competitive - and it will also feature more downloadable music.

   This latest sequel has been known to be in development at Neversoft (makers of Tony Hawk's skating games), for the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii consoles. However, a portable version for the Nintendo DS is now also confirmed, and it could be out in early 2008. All the other console versions of Guitar Hero III are planned for release at the end of 2007. And, while we're at it, Activision also signed a deal with developer Hands-On Mobile recently, to bring the Guitar Heroes franchise to mobile phones.

   It may look like Neversoft, RedOctane and Activision have everything set up for a sure succcess. And in the end they may get it. It's just that they might have to share it with the series' original creators from Harmonix, who have since left the building and are now working with Electronic Arts and MTV on the forementioned Rock Band game. Sounds like this winter's gonna rock!