Games and applications developer Hands-On Mobile and Activision Publishing have launched Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass for mobile phones.

Released July 18, mobile gamers can now rock out with their phones with the new Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass. With over 25 hours of gameplay, players can assume the identities of Axel Steel or Judy Nails and promote their band and music on television and radio, build buzz and street cred, create demo tapes, sign record contracts, handle press interviews, rehearse songs and play gigs.

"Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass appeals to a variety of groups," said David McCaman, director of marketing at Hands-On Mobile, San Francisco. "Fans of Guitar Hero on any platform will enjoy exploring more outside of just the fret board, receiving whole new experiences.

"Since Backstage Pass involves over 25 hours of life-sim and mini-music games, taking a band from basement wannabe to rock star fame, it appeals to fans of strategy and life-sim games that seek a more personalized game with different objectives outside of note-matching," he said.

"As always, Guitar Hero for mobile, whether it is Guitar Hero III or Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass, is a great way for people to explore what Guitar Hero is all about in an affordable and personal way. Whether they saw it at a party or have heard about it from all their friends, they can download and find out what the craze is all about."

Backstage Pass will appeal to male and female and both hardcore and casual gamers alike, Mr. McCaman said.

The objective of the game is to unlock several guitars, thereby strengthening their performance. This is done by achieving certain career goals, such as signing with a record label.

In addition to virtual fame, players can also earn virtual fortune, which can be spent on guitars to play at a variety of venues in hopes of attracting record labels.

The Activision published game offers an added element of working towards an actual goal of getting the gigs and seeing what the life of struggling musician is all about.

The primary point of access to the game will be in the games section on the carrier decks. Outside of possible new or featured sections, it can be found in either the strategy or music or both sections of carrier game decks.

Gamers can also buy, download and become the next guitar hero by texting Stage to short code 46966.

The Backstage Pass Web companion at http://www.guitarheromobile.com/backstage enables players to register for full access to the Backstage Pass community.

Here, players can message other faux-rock enthusiast, check standings, download new guitars and music, and join or create official Backstage Pass contests, where players can wager their "hero" money and stats with each other, all onto their mobile devices.

Founded in 2001, Hands-On Mobile claims that Guitar Hero III Mobile has reached more than 1 million downloads.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, Activision maintains operations nationwide and in Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

"In bringing Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass to market we had to appreciate the potential for residual success attributed to the first release in the mobile franchise, Guitar Hero III," Mr. McCaman said.

"A legitimate concern to the launch was communicating the uniqueness of Backstage Pass," he said. "All other Guitar Hero iterations, across platforms, focus on the fret-board and note-matching, with ancillary features."

Mr. McCaman also said using Backstage Pass as a mobile community launch-point and launching a dashboard for Web-to-wireless features allows Hands-On Mobile to take a more aggressive approach to online messaging to drive interest through the http://www.guitarheromobile.com Web site.

"Backstage Pass takes a radical approach, taking the user outside of the famous note-highway and into a world of venues, mini-games, and band-progression opportunities," Mr. McCaman said.

"Communicating this effectively in our product messaging, advertising and outreach turns potential product confusion into a benefit, showcasing a new experience for fans," he said.