Activision

Set List Features Top 40 and Most Popular Music from Favorite Bands Including Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects, Jackson 5 and More

Band Hero for Nintendo DS Lite Introduces Innovative Drum and Vocal Gameplay Allowing Players to Take their Band's Performance On the Road

November 3, 2009 – Hitting store shelves throughout North America today, Activision Publishing, Inc.'s Band Hero for Wii, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo DS Lite explodes onto the scene with the most exciting and accessible set lists everyone can enjoy at home or on the road, featuring chart-topping tracks from the most popular bands of yesterday and today. With the console versions, up-and-coming pop superstars can create the band of their dreams with any combination of multiple guitarists, bassists, drummers and vocalists or hit all the high notes together in the new karaoke-style Sing-Along mode. Fans can also step into the spotlight as their favorite popular music stars with Taylor Swift and Maroon 5's Adam Levine making appearances as playable characters. Read more

Fans of All Ages Will Sing and Play Their Way to Superstardom with the Chart-Topping Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist This November

Fan Sweepstakes Will Award Tickets and Opportunity to Meet Taylor Swift in Person

August 4, 2009 – Taylor Swift, global music sensation and best selling artist of 2008, will ascend an all-new virtual stage this November in Band Hero, the ultimate party game featuring a wide assortment of today's popular hits and most recognizable pop anthems, created by Guitar Hero and Activision Publishing, Inc. Budding music stars, their families and friends, will all live their musical fantasy on the Band Hero stage, playing as Taylor Swift or alongside the singer/songwriter and guitarist, as she performs her smash-hits "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me" from her latest album Fearless as well as "Picture to Burn" from her self-titled debut record. Read more

Activision has confirmed that Band Hero will be coming to Nintendo's DS Lite. Not only will you be able to play guitar on the go (like the popular Guitar Hero on Tour) , but with Band Hero you'll be able to play drums with a new Drum Grip, and the game even adds vocals.

Band Hero also features a multiplayer mode, so you can play along with your friends using any combination of instruments – guitar, bass, drums and vocals to some of today's most popular tracks including: Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, The Killers, KT Tunstall, and Fall Out Boy.

The game will also have a brand new Rockstar Editor, allowing you to fully customize your band members, a No Fail mode, and Stage Stunts.

No release date has been announced yet.

July 20, 2009 – Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and 11-time Grammy Award winner, Carlos Santana, is set to appear as an exclusive in-game artist in the upcoming Guitar Hero 5. Santana's accomplishments span four decades and more than 40 albums including the self-titled album, Santana, that launched one of the most recognizable Latin-infused classic rock anthems, "No One to Depend On." The live version of the song will be featured in Guitar Hero 5 with Carlos Santana jamming on stage as a playable character.

In addition to music from Santana, Guitar Hero 5 features a wide variety of today's hottest rock 'n' roll bands mixed with classic tracks. Brand new game features let fans tailor their experience to meet the evolving ways consumers are interacting with their favorite music and allows them to challenge themselves as a solo act or band member, or kick back with friends and enjoy their personalized set list.Read more

June 30, 2009 – It's time for gamers around the world to embark on an all-new incredible adventure with their favorite sub-zero heroes in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs from Activision Publishing, Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising (Fox Licensing). Based on the highly anticipated 3-D animated feature from Twentieth Century Fox, which debuts worldwide on July 1, the game allows players to command their favorite movie characters, including Sid, Manny, Diego, Scrat and the relentless one-eyed Dino hunting weasel, Buck, and venture into a mysterious underground world of dinosaurs, while solving puzzles and platforming through more than 15 exciting levels.

"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs allows kids to play as some of their favorite movie characters on their own, or, for the first time in the series, with their family and friends in multiplayer mini-games," said Rob Kostich, head of marketing for licensed properties, Activision Publishing, Inc. "Family game night will take on a whole new meaning as you compete in hilarious challenges like Sloth Throw, Dino Targets and Sloth Chase using your Wii Remote or gamepad." Read more

May 18, 2009 – Guitar Hero continues to re-define the music and gaming experience this Fall with the release of Guitar Hero 5. Featuring the best variety and biggest rock stars of today combined with classic rock anthems, Guitar Hero 5 is the latest installment of the world’s most popular music game. For the first time ever, players can customize the make-up of their band by rocking with any combination of instruments in-game: whether it be two guitars and two drums, or three guitars and a microphone, any combination is possible, allowing players to experience music their own way. Brand new, innovative, easy-to-use gameplay modes like Party Play and RockFest put fun, competition and control at center stage as fans tailor the Guitar Hero experience to match their personal style and interests. For extended hours of entertainment, downloadable content from Guitar Hero® World Tour will be compatible with the game and will automatically be updated to include all of the upgrades and enhancements of Guitar Hero 5.*

Guitar Hero 5 features the strongest, most varied set list to-date comprised of master tracks from 85 of the hottest bands of today and the biggest classic acts including; Kings of Leon, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Santana, Vampire Weekend, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, plus more than 25 artists from a variety of music genres that will be making their music video game debut. Read more

April 14, 2009 – Hailed as "Activision's best Guitar Hero yet" by AOL/GameDaily and "a must-play for fans" by IGN.com, Activision Publishing, Inc.'s Guitar Hero Metallica is now available at retail outlets across North America for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. PlayStation 2 system rock stars can now experience the intensity of musical icons Metallica and over 20 additional bands. Shred on the guitar controller, rip on the drum kit controller and wail on the mic to a killer set list of over 45 explosive hits from both Metallica's illustrious career and a wide variety of legendary artists personally selected by the band, such as Alice In Chains, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Foo Fighters, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen.

"Guitar Hero Metallica has garnered critical acclaim across the industry proving the widespread appeal and accessibility of both Guitar Hero and Metallica," said Will Kassoy, Head of Publishing for the Guitar Hero franchise. "With a very successful launch on Wii, Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, we are excited to bring the game to the huge PlayStation 2 system gaming community and expect it to quickly become a fan favorite for that platform."Read more

April 13, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Showing its support for Nintendo's new handheld game system the Nintendo DSi, Activision Publishing, Inc. is the first third-party publisher to have a downloadable game available via the DSiWare service that lets consumers populate their Nintendo DSi system with downloadable games. Created by Vicarious Visions, an award winning studio with a history of developing landmark titles for the Nintendo handheld platforms, Mixed Messages is a party game designed for 2 to 21 players that delivers hours of creative and hilarious fun by allowing players to take turns either writing a phrase or drawing picture and passing it onto the next player to add their style to it.

"The Nintendo DSi should further broaden the appeal of portable gaming and we are excited to debut Mixed Messages," said Mike Griffith, President and CEO, Activision Publishing, Inc. "The game is a fun way for consumers of all ages to explore their creativity as they evolve the message in the game."

"Nintendo DSi lets people create their own personalized content and share it with friends and family," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "Mixed Messages balances those features in a fun way by putting a modern twist on the classic game of telephone. Players create a new Nintendo DSi experience every time they play.

Mixed Messages is now available for Nintendo DSi from the Nintendo DSi Shop at a price of 500 DSi points and is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB. For more information on Mixed Messages, visit www.mixedmsgs.com.

March 31, 2009 – Having pioneered and expanded the heavy metal genre while gaining critical and popular success over the past 25 years, Metallica invites gamers to "Ride the Lightning" with them and over 20 other rocking artists in Activision Publishing, Inc.'s latest release – Guitar Hero Metallica. Enter the world of Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo and experience the intensity and skill of one of the greatest bands of all time. Shred on the guitar controller, rip on the drum kit controller and wail on the mic to over 45 explosive hits from both Metallica's illustrious career and a variety of other legendary artists selected by the band, such as Alice In Chains, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Foo Fighters, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen.

"When Guitar Hero came to us with the idea to do a game based on Metallica, we call this a no brainer and said yes very quickly," said Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica. "It seemed like the next step - a whole other platform for musicians to reach an audience. If we talk about this in five years, I think it will turn into an expected way to release music."

"Guitar Hero is a great way for people to experience the music of a band. Not just Metallica, but many bands. It's almost educational in that sense, where people can learn about groups that range from Santana to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Journey," said bassist Robert Trujillo. Read more