Gene Simmons 'voice of Guitar Hero 6'

With original publisher RedOctane being shuttered and developer Neversoft reportedly being taken off the series, the Guitar Hero franchise is surrounded by uncertainty. Uncertainty except for one thing: Gene Simmons will be in the next installment in the long-running music game series--according to Simmons, anyway.

"I'm the voice of Guitar Hero 6," the KISS bassist said bluntly on the British show Game On currently viewable below and on YouTube. The quote was excised from a larger interview and played--and replayed--for comic effect during the 12-and-a-half-minute show, which made much of the fact that the game hadn't been announced yet.

That isn't entirely true, though, since Activision used its most recent earnings call to confirm that two music games would be released in the back half of the year. One of those has been named as DJ Hero 2 multiple times, and the other was an unnamed Guitar Hero game. Coming after Guitar Hero 5, that game is likely being referred to as "Guitar Hero 6" internally at Activision, though the title has not been formally announced. However, as of press time, the publisher had not responded to requests for clarification or comment.

In archetypal self-promotional style, Simmons also used his interview to say the best way for a Guitar Hero player to become a real musician was to buy the Gene Simmons Axe controller. Then turning serious he advised them to practice and "play with somebody who knows how to play, watch what they do, [and] copy."