Digital Praise’s latest stab at the rhythm game market is Guitar Praise: Solid Rock. Their new game, Guitar Praise, is an ripoff alternate take on the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises, but made with christian rock music. Despite it’s similarities to the Activision and EA franchises, Digital Praise doesn’t fear a trademark or patent infringement lawsuit. In an interview with Drew Koehler of Christian-Gaming.com the guys from Digital Praise talk about their new game and count down to the imminent lawsuit from Konami.
Everything you ever wanted to know about a Guitar Hero clone, featuring christian music, after the jump!
Even though both Activision and Electronic Arts have both been sued for copying Konami’s Guitar Freaks. Both lost and had to pay Konami big bucks. Yet the guys and gals of Digital Praise don’t worry about all of that legal mumbo jumbo. Why?
Read Drew’s exclusive interview.
What led to the decision to create your own music/rhythm game?
Guitar Praise was developed in response to repeated requests from current Digital Praise customers for more family-oriented guitar skill game. Customers asked us for music with positive lyrics, less provocative characters and graphics
Will there be DLC (downloadable content) available after the game releases?
We don’t announce future plans, but it’s likely.
Were the Christian music labels enthusiastic about licensing the songs for the game? Were there any artists or songs you were unable to get for some reason?
We enjoy our relationships with the music labels, and they are enthusiastic about the game. We have band management from other bands contacting us to be on future versions now!
Are the songs all master tracks?
Yes
Who did you partner with to create the guitar peripheral?
Our partners in China have been a great asset to Digital Praise.
It’s been stated that the game is not compatible with the wired Guitar Hero or Rock Band guitar controller. What is the reason for this?
Our goal is to always make the best, highest-quality games we can, with original features and appeal. To do that, for now we have had to test only the Guitar Praise guitar controllers.
The responses in the gaming press have ranged from a strong defense from Penny Arcade to barely veiled scorn from MTV. How have you felt about the various reactions?
Digital Praise is a company devoted to serving families, schools and churches who seek wholesome, positive and educational family entertainment. Guitar Praise was created after repeated requests from our customers for a guitar controller game that featured the best Christian rock artists, combined with less provocative graphics. Our goal is always to do our very best to meet or exceed the production and play quality found in most PC games, and we believe we have achieved that with Guitar Praise.
Various outlets and commenters to news posts about the game have wondered if there are copyright infringement issues with the game so closely mimicking the gameplay of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Are you concerned that the makers of Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band will take issue with your game for these reasons?
We have created our own game with unique features and game play.
Are there any plans to bring Guitar Praise to consoles?
Not at this time.
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Well there you go. They totally doged the question about how they plan to avoid getting the pants sued off of them…
There’s no question this game is gonna make some money. Hopefully not enough money to put them into Konami’s Patent attorney’s crosshairs.
Christian Guitar Hero made with chineese guitars. Get it now, before Konami puts them into legal limbo!
Source: Christian-Gaming.com
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Nah, they won’t get sued. Rock Band’s guitaring is so close to Guitar Hero, GH4 is so close to Rock Band, and Rock Revolution is so close to both of them, that there’s no way this new guitar game will get sued.
Maybe GH Country is next after all?
Hey butters, Konami already got cash from the guitar hero peeps and are suing EA over Rock band…. so…. Yeah, digital praise is gonna get sued.
LOL! I agree that they totally dodged the question about trademarks and so forth.
As excited as I am for this game, I do fear that maybe they are pushing the envelope a bit. There are however some Christian artists on the current RB and GH like Paramore and Flyleaf.
@Lono
Then why are RB2 and GH4 still green-lighted? Royalties to Konami? If so why can’t Digital Praise do the same thing?
Butters: yes, GH for sure paid royalties, but I’m not sure RB has yet… As for whether or not Digital Praise can do the same thing, I don’t see why not, but I’d bet that they haven’t because it’s pretty expensive.
I think it’s good that someone came up with the idea of making a Christian Themed music game. It’s not like they are actually taking a market share away from anyone. The game is pretty specifically aimed at a demographic that openly doesnt want to play the Guitar HeroRock Band games because of their content. Even if they get sued, at least they tried. The guitar is pretty close, though…
Being a Christian I’m quite excited about this game. But I’m sad that I have to buy new instruments, and that it might only be on PC. But it’s worth it, and I really hope the game doesn’t get canceled from being inevitably sued.
Guys.
Love addict by family force 5 is in this.
I’m backing it wholeheartedly.
Im also a christian and i reckon it will be awesome i dont really mind that its on pc as ive got plently of 360 games to keep me occupied on it.
I hope they paid the rights as i dont want them to be sued
Regardless of faith, if the game is a rip off of Konami’s patent, Konami will sue them.
But I am sure these guys did their homework and feel like they have just enough of a difference…
MacDowells.
EA are being sued now, if you remember right, for infringing patents without payoffs (http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2008/07/nonfiction-konami-sues-harmonix-over-rock-band-says-they-got-there-first.html) so I can see the same sort of thing happening to this company. Forget the “unique gameplay”, there is still a case for a lawsuit as Konami trademarked the whole thing.
Haha, who else went straight to bottom of the article after reading the title looking for the Fiction Friday tag?
The phrase “Christian Rock” has got to be one of the best oxymorons ever.
Yeah Yousty, I was thinking the same thing.
I was like… “hmm, they seem to have forgotten the fictions tag”?
I find it strange that they didn’t just approach one of the other franchises to allow a mod, this could have been done on GH3 on PC…and even a future mod for consoles on GH instead of paying the chinese to make a new game.
It’s devious and not right, there should always be respect of the law especially by religious institutions and companies…I hope they get sued, and i hope they think about doing things the right way next time…
I don’t see why secularists think that Christians need to be held up to a different standard. Yes, we should hold a higher standard for ourselves, but you have no right to any opinion on the matter. Just as I have no right to set the bar for how many cars a Muslim should own, for example. I see no difference there, but I am sure you will, liberals always do.
GH and RB received thousands of request for just such a game, and turned it down repeatedly, for the sake of “political correctness”. I do agree that IF trademarks have been infringed, which I don’t see how, then they should pay restitution.
The entire thing is simple jealousy and greed. If Konami had their ducks in a row before they released their program, then others may have been able to make versions of it, but certainly not be able to improve upon it. I mean really, has anyone improved on HALO yet? Besides the sequels, of course.
So there’s my two cents worth. But don’t listen to me (as if I thought you might), go get a mocha soy latte and vote for the raging liberal socialist that wants to kill babies, all while taxing your employers so much that you and all your friends get fired, just to cut labor costs so the shareholders won’t lose any more profit.
I’m going to get my copy of Guitar Praise and enjoy a moral version of a game whose mainstream version is steeped in secular hedonism, and played by 12 year old children, whose parents really don’t care WHAT they are exposed to. Then good luck prying my axe and my Bible from my cold, dead fingers.
As christians why are we always so afraid of the things of this world, if we truly believe Jesus has overcome the world then why do we run around acting all scared about what might happen if we listen to a secular song, it just doesnt make sense, we have traded in truth “faith” for a “rabbits foot” and superstition, we cant live on “greasy grace” but we arent living in the freedom of our faith! Guitar Praise is a great thing, but lets not run around scared of a couple non-christian songs and lyrics, we cant keep ourselves in a bubble all our lives, who knows what we might hear someone say on the bus tomorrow…