Seven45 Studios is a sister company to music instrument manufacturing giant First Act, making it uniquely positioned to introduce the first major band game for which the guitar peripheral is a functioning six-string electric guitar. The guitar features Seven45’s proprietary technology that can distinguish and recognize gamers’ input all along the guitar, making the guitars as easy to pick up and play as any other band game button controllers. They also include all the guts of an electric guitar so players can plug their SixString guitars into any standard amp to jam with their friends.

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString will transport players to an entirely new universe, with its own mythology, politics, settings, heroes and villains, where music rules all. On the gameplay front, Power Gig uses new technology that represents the next evolution of music performance games to provide all players — from casual gamers to the hardcore, from those who have never before picked up a guitar to those who play guitar on a regular basis — with a more authentic and fun experience. The game offers two overarching modes of play. In addition to traditional beat-matching that will be familiar to fans of the band game genre, Power Gig also introduces the option to switch on chording, or chord play. Chording presents the added challenge of playing the game using chords that require specific finger placement on the strings. As players progress through the game, becoming more comfortable with a genuine guitar and potentially choosing to play real power chords, they will find that the byproduct of playing the game is coming away from it with an understanding of some real-life guitar fundamentals.

Music industry superstars Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews Band and Kid Rock have each entered into exclusive agreements with Seven45 Studios to provide songs for Power Gig: Rise of the SixString, the first band videogame for which the guitar peripheral is a functioning six-string electric guitar. The deals mark the first time ever that songs from each of the three artists will appear as part of a music videogame.

“We are extremely excited and proud for Power Gig: Rise of the SixString to be the first videogame to attract the interest of a iconic guitarists and performers like Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews Band and Kid Rock,” said Seven45 Studios Chairman and CEO, Bernard Chiu. “It thrills us to know artists of their caliber agree we are breaking important ground by delivering a game featuring an authentic guitar that absolutely anyone can pick up and play, and which can impart real-life guitar skills that could put anyone on the path to joining these music legends on future lists of the world’s great performers.”

“We think Power Gig is a much needed and much welcomed game because, unlike any others before it, it puts a real guitar into the hands of aspiring musicians, and we hope it inspires our fans and others to start playing even when they’re not playing the game,” said Dave Matthews Band. “We love the thought that fans of ours who’ve never picked up an instrument can now play our music on a real guitar and experience what we love to do day in and day out.”

Iconic guitarist Eric Clapton, ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top five greatest guitarists of all time, is the only person ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times—once as a solo performer, and also as a member of rock bands Cream and the Yardbirds. The Grammy Award-winning Dave Matthews Band, much admired for their improvisational live performances, celebrated their fifth consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 this past summer with the release of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Kid Rock rose to fame with the 1998 album, Devil Without A Cause, and his most recent album, Rock N Roll Jesus sold more than 5 million albums worldwide and was certified triple platinum in the US. In addition to the agreements with these three artists, Power Gig will feature a robust song list featuring major label artists and emerging talent from the indie scene.

“I was never interested in pressing buttons on a guitar to entertain myself or anyone else,” said Kid Rock. “The reason I signed up with Power Gig is because this game is a way to not only have fun, but also to play real notes on an actual guitar! Anyone can now rock out—even if they have never shredded before in their life.”

The AirStrike drums give gamers the most immersive drum experience available for a game by providing for complete freedom to drum with truly realistic movement, and without the distracting sounds of peripherals already on the market.

The AirStrike drum controller consists of two drumsticks and a small unit that rests by the player’s feet that features unique technology that can differentiate the right drumstick from the left. It is this recognition that allows gamers to play the drums with much more true-to-life movement than the drum game peripherals already on the market. This new, engaging style of drum gameplay offers opportunity both for more creativity and more challenge. An added benefit to the design is that the AirStrike is more portable and convenient for gamers who don’t want to clutter their homes with large toy drum units.

“We know that people may be skeptical of the AirStrike drums at first glance when they see there’s no actual drums and can’t understand how that’s a match to our SixString guitar which is a fully-functioning electric guitar,” said Seven45 Studios Chairman and CEO, Bernard Chiu. “But we also know that as soon as people sit down to play it, they are going to see how much more real and authentic it feels to be moving much the same way true drummers do when they play, without the limits of the drum kits already on the market. Just like our guitars, the AirStrike drums are a step forward for authenticity in the band game genre.”