This week on the Aeropodcast, we celebrate the San Diego Comic Con by talking about some of the best, and worst that have come to gamers with superhero adaptations.  Of course, the game above is mentioned, but we look at some classic titles and more when it comes to superhero games.

Also, we talk up the recent clearance bonanza for those that visited CheapAssGamer.com and got in on the $15 Guitar Hero/DJ Hero bundles.  Who went in, and who skipped out on this deal.  We were also joined by S-Tip in the episode who, as most cool kids do, talks about himself in the third person and talks about the trials and tribulations of being in a multi-million dollar selling band.

The podcast was mixed, by Stephen “S-Tip” Munn, and features “Droid Girl”, performed by Lazyitis.

Download the podcast from here or subscribe to the podcast using one of the services below. Also make sure to review us on iTunes and now, the Zune Marketplace. If you have not yet, make sure to visit our Facebook Fan Page.

While I am not the most proficient mobile gamer I have, from time to time, sat down with games on my phone.  I have a few games on my Windows Mobile, and before that a couple on my iPhone, but it never amounted to more than that.  However, my wife and son both have Droid phones and have a ton of games that they play, mostly because they are free.  One of the newest titles in their rotation of games is Rhythm Racer 2, a game from Avatar Labs.  If you are familiar with Audiosurf and wanted that type of gameplay on the go, Rhythm Racer 2 is very similar.  If that title is a bit foreign to you, think of Rhythm Racer 2 as a fusion of Guitar Hero and a racing title.  It is a lot of fun, although it is missing one piece that would really make it stand out, but hey, what do you want for free.

Rhythm Racer 2 places you in a racing vehicle with small wings and then has you barrel down a winding highway, complete with orbs that you have to pick up.  The speed of the tracks and the pattern of the orbs on the track coincide with the tempo of the music tracks playing in the background.  Controls are simple enough with tilt being used to move the car left and right on the track and tapping the edges of the screen allows you to boost for a limited time.

It does take a little bit of time to get used to the tilt motion, and I did have to dig into the settings to adjust the sensitivity, as I was careening across the track wildly with the default tilt settings.  However, you do start to get used to the motion and the gentle sway that will move you back and forth across the track.

The music included in the mix is also pretty good, blending together some electronica and techno, and it does become infectious over time.  However, the music selection is limited, and it would have been great to see an added feature that would let me use my own MP3 files that were on my phone.  I mean, phones are vast media devices at this point for people, and having the ability to tap into that collection would add a huge amount of replay value, not to mention, attachment to the game over a longer period of time.

As stated before, the game is completely free on the Droid marketplace, and there is an iPhone version available as well, although I do not have the pricing on that version.  At the price of free, it is a no-brainer to at least give the game a spin.  My wife and son have really enjoyed the game, and I had fun with it while I kicked the tires on the game.   I have a hard time attaching a score for a game that is free, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun title on their phone.

Last week Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos talked with Edge about his company’s recent history and future plans, admitting that Rock Band 3 has not sold that well. With the shuttering of the Guitar Hero and DJ Hero brands – and the commonly-quoted flagging interest in music games in general – what hope do we have for the continuation of Rock Band?

As soon as this topic is raised, the conversation is immediately sidetracked by people shrugging and walking away. “I’m kinda burned out on notes-and-highway music games.” “I already own enough plastic instruments, and I haven’t used them in months.” Fine, so the fad is over and all the casualies have moved on to other, shiner objects. But what could Harmonix do to bring players back to the stage and maintain Rock Band as an evergreen platform? Owing to my vast experience of sitting around on my ass, here’s some humble suggestions to reinvigorate Rock Brand.

LET MY BEATLES FREE.

When The Beatles: Rock Band debuted in 2009, it was big news. The game was the kind of release that pierced through the usual public fog on video games. My Mom knew about it. Harmonix should leverage the Beatles wave again by making those tracks available for the other Rock Band games. I’ll even allow them keep the Beatles songs exclusive to Rock Band 3 for sake of simplicity in version translation (although I think Harmonix releasing all future DLC as RB3-exclusive had to have hurt their DLC revenue stream).

Spare me the spiel about “keeping Beatles music iconic and separate” and get the Lads to sign where they need to sign.

DROP THE PRICE… MAYBE DROP IT ALL THE WAY.

It won’t be long before last fall’s $60 Rock Band 3 will be found for $20 on discount. It can already be had in the $40 – $50 range. As the price falls, this potentially leads new buyers into the sweet, sweet realm of DLC songs. It’s time to offer Rock Band as the platform it truly is.

Let’s do a super Rock Band bargain and put a new disk out this fall for $20. Rock Band 3.1. Minor upgrades, only 30 new songs… but plenty of hype about the vast library of DLC. Don’t even pretend it’s a major release… call it Rock Band Player or whatever. Drop the Pro crap. Drop the drum trainer. Or hell, do absolutely nothing to the existing RB3 game and just re-release it with new songs for $20.

The point is to make the core game affordable and get new people into the pool.

But what about the instruments, you say? When the first Guitar Hero came out, we paid $80 for a game and a guitar. The cost of manufacturing plastic instruments has to be dirt by now. Offer game+guitar+mic for $40. Game+guitar+drums+mic for $60. Simplify and reduce the price. The piano is probably still too new to be priced down, so leave that entirely optional, as it is now.

I’ll even go one better: offer the core Rock Band 3 with no songs as a free downloadable game. Include the ability to download any 60 songs – ANY 60 SONGS – for $50. There’s enough food on the buffet that anybody could finally craft their own meal with exactly the tastes they like.

CATER, CATER, CATER.

Remember the nerd rush when Portal’s “Still Alive” was added to Rock Band? Sure, it was free, but even if it had been $1, gamers would have made it a hit. Why has Harmonix not continued to pursue video game music in their music video game?

Last week I beat Plants vs Zombies and damned if the game didn’t end with a cute pop song. I’d pay $1 to have that in Rock Band. And we have decades of great music available… surely we could tickle the fanbase by getting tracks from hit games.

Yes, some songs will end up as console exclusives. And yes, plenty would lack a singer. But so what?

Plus, we don’t have to solely cater to gamers. We could also cater to silly, party karaoke kind of stuff… like television theme songs. Dare we ask for j-pop and classical music as well?

And don’t give me that crap about “It’s ROCK Band, it should all be ROCK!” Horse hockey. You’re pretending to play music by timing button presses to flying pixels. ALL music should be up for grabs because that system works with ALL music and ALL instruments.

STOP SCARING PEOPLE.

One area where I think Harmonix can stop the appeal is in Pro Mode. This was a Big Deal for Rock Band 3 and it has done the game no favors in sales. The hardcore types had to wait how many months for the Pro Squier to ship? Momentum lost on a topic that was niche to begin with.

It’s unfortunate, because I’m sure Pro Mode was/is a ton of work, but most people just are not interested. Is it a great bonus? Sure. Most of us, however, had to face the reality that once you scratch away all the Pro stuff out of RB3, you’re left with Not Much Different From RB2.

How many gamers walked away from Rock Band in the first place because it was perceived as too hard when compared to Guitar Hero… simply by virtue of adding drums, and extra buttons to the guitar controller?

My point is that Rock Band lost some eyeballs simply by being Rock Band. Expensive, living-room-dominating Rock Band. Crowing about how cool it will be to learn to play REAL GUITAR is not going to sway people who are put off by an assumed difficulty gap.

Bring back the kid-friendly, “super-easy” option from LEGO Rock Band. Allow you to use whatever instruments you want, in whatever configuration (Guitar Hero did it!), so nobody feels like they wasted money by owning three guitars.

I’m not saying to water down the game to make it more accessible to casual gamers (well, maybe I am a little), but rather play up the points that the game already has. The genius of having a selection of difficulty modes across a diverse selection of songs is that this game can appeal to absolutely anybody… if they aren’t frightened off by thinking RB3 is all about learning to play real guitar (it isn’t), and they have to pay more for RB3 DLC tracks (you don’t).

Some time ago, I remember Harmonix hinting that they were trying to include a free MP3 version of the song with each downloadable game track. That awesome idea seems to have fizzled (imagine that), but it stands as an example of Harmonix trying to keep the consumer first. I trust these guys. They led a genuine cultural movement but were unjustly facepalmed aside. I hope that Activision’s killstroke on Hero does not indicate the unavoidable death knell for Rock Band.

First, some of the duh moments:

• Activision was the number one publisher in North America on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 combined.
• Cataclysm expansion for WoW sold 4.7 million in its first month.
• World of Warcraft has over 12 million subscribers.
• Continuing the Call of Duty Franchise, without actually calling out a Call of Duty title for this fall.

Keep reading after the jump for more on the story.

Now for some of the lesser known stuff that really stuck out:

• Project Beachhead – Looks to be a community and service suite for Call of Duty.  I would say that this sounds very akin to Halo Waypoint.  The services tag intrigues me, as it makes me wonder if there will be a charge for this (most likely), and if it would offer hosted servers for users (possibly).
• Call of Duty China – following in the footsteps of Company of Heroes Online and other ventures in China, this will be a free to play shooter that will be supported with Microtransactions.  I doubt it will end up here in the states.
• Two movie based titles are coming, along with several properties that have strong niche followings in the game community.
• All music and rhythm titles have been cancelled for 2011.  Means that we will not see a Guitar Hero 7 or a DJ Hero 3 in the next fiscal year.  Also, no skateboarding releases in 2011.  Guess that long sales tail for Tony Hawk Shred never materialized…what a surprise.
• Studios working on Guitar Hero title has been disbanded.
• True Crime: Hong Kong was also hit with the executioner’s axe.  This was being worked on by the same studio that had created ModNation Racers.  It had been delayed several times, but was one of four titles shown at the Activision Press/concert event at E3 2010 in June.
• Cancellation of these titles and divisions was done to allow focus on main core properties.  Take this to most likely mean that they are going to whore the shit out of Call of Duty.
• Could not list a 2011 release title for Blizzard, as they have not placed a release date on any of their products as of yet.
• Also talked up the great new IP that Bungie was creating, yet we still have no idea what it is about.
• They also talked about a new entertainment franchise that will have toys debuting at ToyFair this year.  Also states that the toys will merge with online play and video games.  Sounds like a new Neopets knockoff
• Finally, Activion noted a 20% increase in digital sales on their products.

You can head over to Investor Releations at the Activision website if you want to read more, but all it will do is give you a headache with all the numbers involved.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock has stopped the trickling of track announcements and dropped the full set list on the public today.  I have to admit that I love what Guitar Hero has added to the rotation this time around.  Finally, we have some Dire Straits, with their huge hit, “Money for Nothing”.  Some of the other notables include Queen, Pantera, Muse, Steve Vai, Megadeth, Jethro Tull and many more.

Continue past the jump for the full press release, as well as the full 90+ track set list.  Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is set to drop on September 28th, 2010 on all the major consoles.

Guitar Hero(R): Warriors of Rock Unleashes All 90+ On-Disc Tracks

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug 18, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Bringing the ultimate set list to furious finger-fretting rockaholics around the world this September, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) revealed today the entire Guitar Hero(R): Warriors of Rock on-disc lineup. With more than 90 tracks focusing on guitar shredding hits, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is headlined by some of the largest bands in rock and features original tracks written and composed by AAA talent, special re-records by famous artists, and bands that are making their Guitar Hero(R) debut.

“We engaged our fans to find out what they really wanted and then hand-picked over 90 tracks that deliver the ultimate rock experience,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Guitar Hero. “From the new guitar controller to the gameplay to the on-disc set list, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is truly a return to rock.”

When Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock ships on September 28, gamers will join the quest to save rock and strive to keep up with the blistering solos and intense riffs as they shred their way through the largest Guitar Hero set list to date. The full track list includes:

•A Perfect Circle – “The Outsider”

•Aerosmith – “Cryin’”

•AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday”

•Alice Cooper – “No More Mr. Nice Guy”

•Alter Bridge – “Ties That Bind”

•Anberlin – “The Feel Good Drag”

•Anthrax – “Indians”

•Arch Enemy – “Nemesis”

•Atreyu – “Ravenous”

•Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”

•Bad Brains – “Re-Ignition (Live)”

•Band Of Skulls – “I Know What I Am”

•Black Sabbath – “Children Of The Grave”

•Blind Melon – “Tones Of Home”

•Blue Oyster Cult – “Burnin’ For You”

•Bush – “Machinehead”

•Buzzcocks – “What Do I Get?”

•Children Of Bodom – “If You Want Peace… Prepare For War”

•Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Fortunate Son”

•The Cure – “Fascination Street”

•Deep Purple – “Burn”

•Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)”

•Dethklok – “Bloodlines”

•The Dillinger Escape Plan – “Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants”

•Dire Straits – “Money For Nothing”

•DragonForce – “Fury of the Storm”

•Drowning Pool – “Bodies”

•Edgar Winter- “Free Ride”

•Fall Out Boy – “Dance, Dance”

•Five Finger Death Punch – “Hard To See”

•Flyleaf – “Again”

•Foo Fighters – “No Way Back”

•Foreigner – “Feels Like The First Time”

•George Thorogood and The Destroyers – “Move It On Over (Live)”

•The Hives – “Tick Tick Boom”

•Interpol – “Slow Hands”

•Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”

•Jethro Tull – “Aqualung”

•John 5 – “Black Widow Of La Porte”

•KISS – “Love Gun”

•Linkin Park – “Bleed It Out”

•Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Call Me The Breeze (Live)”

•Megadeth – “Sudden Death”

•Megadeth – “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”

•Megadeth – “This Day We Fight!”

•Metallica & Ozzy Osbourne – “Paranoid (Live)”

•Muse – “Uprising”

•My Chemical Romance – “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”

•Neil Young – “Rockin’ In The Free World”

•Nickelback – “How You Remind Me”

•Night Ranger – “(You Can Still) Rock In America”

•Nine Inch Nails – “Wish”

•The Offspring – “Self Esteem”

•Orianthi – “Suffocated”

•Pantera – “I’m Broken”

•Phoenix – “Lasso”

•Poison – “Unskinny Bop”

•Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”

•Queensryche – “Jet City Woman”

•Rammstein – “Waidmanns Heil”

•The Ramones – “Theme From Spiderman”

•Red Rider – “Lunatic Fringe”

•R.E.M. – “Losing My Religion”

•Rise Against – “Savior”

•The Rolling Stones – “Stray Cat Blues”

•The Runaways – “Cherry Bomb”

•Rush – “2112 Pt. 1 – Overture”

•Rush – “2112 Pt. 2 – The Temples Of Syrinx”

•Rush – “2112 Pt. 3 – Discovery”

•Rush – “2112 Pt. 4 – Presentation”

•Rush – “2112 Pt. 5 – Oracle: The Dream”

•Rush – “2112 Pt. 6 – Soliloquy”

•Rush – “2112 Pt. 7 – Grand Finale”

•RX Bandits – “It’s Only Another Parsec…”

•Silversun Pickups – “There’s No Secrets This Year”

•Slash featuring Ian Astbury – “Ghost”

•Slayer – “Chemical Warfare”

•Slipknot – “Psychosocial”

•Snot – “Deadfall”

•Soundgarden – “Black Rain”

•Steve Vai – “Speeding” (Vault Version)

•Stone Temple Pilots – “Interstate Love Song”

•Strung Out – “Calling”

•Styx – “Renegade”

•Sum 41 – “Motivation”

•Tesla – “Modern Day Cowboy”

•Them Crooked Vultures – “Scumbag Blues”

•Third Eye Blind – “Graduate”

•Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Listen To Her Heart”

•Twisted Sister – “We’re Not Gonna Take It”

•The Vines – “Get Free”

•The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”

•ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man (Live)”

In Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, join with friends on an epic rock journey to save rock. Featuring an impressive 90+ track set list and a host of all-new gameplay features, living room legends and their friends can strum, drum and wail in the most immersive music videogame experience to date. Delivering the quintessential rock music collection that focuses on guitar shredding hits from bands such as Black Sabbath, Slipknot and Megadeth and larger-than-life band anthems from Queen, Muse and KISS, players can unleash more rewards and unlockable content than ever before in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s Quest Mode, the franchise’s first ever story-based mode, and Quickplay+, which invites challenge-starved fanatics to test their rock skills. Running on the powerful Guitar Hero engine that has been expanded and refined and with encores from the critically-acclaimed and fan favorite gameplay features that made Guitar Hero one of the most popular franchises of all-time – such as Party Play, Competitive modes and any combination of up to four instruments – the game offers a complete interactive and connected experience bringing friends and foes to the stage in the ultimate rock music experience.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. The game is rated “T” (Teen – Lyrics, Mild Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes) by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, please visit www.GuitarHero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as “outlook,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “remains,” “to be,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “estimate,” future,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “project,” “remain,” “scheduled,” “set to,” “subject to,” “upcoming” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing’s products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition including from used games and other forms of entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes in technology, industry standards, business models including online and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers that can create high quality “hit” titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic expansion, and the other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

Guitar Hero and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All rights reserved.

I have never quite understood the popularity of Soundgarden with its fans.  I mean, thought the band had an interesting sound, but nothing that left me blown away.  Factor in the strife that has been in that band with its members over the years and I just lost interest in trying to feel their sound.  But I cannot knock their popularity, and fans of the band may have a huge reason to pick up Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock in September with the new cross promotional marketing deal between the two franchises.

It seems that one million Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock bundles will come with a complete copy of “Telephantasm”, the first album from Soundgarden in over ten years.  The album will come out with the game, a full week before it is released on store shelves.  Also, the full album will be available as a free download for Guitar Hero with new purchases of the game.  Finally, one of the singles, “Black Rain” will ship ont he disc as one of the 90+ tracks in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

Not sure if this is a selling point for some people, but I do like the idea of a bundled CD with the game.  I just wish it was more of a soundtrack from the game, rather than a single band.  Follow the bouncing jump to read more about this package in the press release.

Soundgarden and Guitar Hero(R) Break New Ground in Epic Collaboration for the Launch of Guitar Hero(R): Warriors of Rock

–Telephantasm – First New Soundgarden Album in Over 10 Years – to be Bundled with 1 Million Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Launch Units –Telephantasm to be Released as Downloadable Content Day and Date with the Game this September –New Single ‘Black Rain’ to Debut Exclusively in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug 03, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Hot on the heels of their highly anticipated reunion, GRAMMY(R) award-winning rockers Soundgarden and Activision Publishing Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero(R): Warriors of Rock will come together this September in a groundbreaking collaboration that marks the first time a new music album will be simultaneously released and bundled with a video game. All one million North American Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock launch units will contain Telephantasm, a 12-song career-spanning album, and will be exclusively available with the game for one week, prior to the album’s retail release. Additionally, day and date with the launch of the game, fans and gamers alike will get full access to the band’s new album as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Delivering fans original content exclusively playable in Guitar Hero(R), axe shredders, drummers and fearless frontmen will also have the opportunity to rock out to “Black Rain,” the band’s amazing, all-new single, as part of the 90+ on-disc song selection of shredtastic rock music.

“We’re extremely excited to be collaborating with Soundgarden on this monumental moment in their music career,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Guitar Hero. “Guitar Hero continues to break new ground by being the preeminent interactive platform for debuting original content and a stage for the biggest acts in all genres of rock and roll to reach new audiences in an all-new way.”

In Addition, on September 28th A&M/UMe will be releasing three expanded versions of Telephantasm which will include a double-disc with 12 additional tracks, five of which are previously unreleased, and Soundgarden’s first-ever DVD, featuring 20 videos, 13 of which have never been released, a Deluxe 3-LP Vinyl Edition and an individually numbered Super Deluxe Collector’s Edition. The Super Deluxe Collector’s Edition will be available for a limited time and will include two CDs, the limited edition DVD, three heavy vinyl discs, a collectible poster, lithos, and much more. These three expanded versions will be available at all music retail outlets and on the band’s website.

In Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, join with friends on an epic rock journey to save rock. Featuring an impressive 90+ track set list and a host of all-new gameplay features, living room legends and their friends can strum, drum and wail in the most immersive music videogame experience to date. Delivering the quintessential rock music collection that focuses on guitar shredding hits from bands such as Black Sabbath, Slipknot and Megadeth and larger-than-life band anthems from Queen, Muse and KISS, players can unleash more rewards and unlockable content than ever before in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s Quest Mode, the franchise’s first ever story-based mode, and Quickplay+, which invites challenge-starved fanatics to test their rock skills. Running on the powerful Guitar Hero engine that has been expanded and refined and with encores from the critically-acclaimed and fan favorite gameplay features that made Guitar Hero one of the most popular franchises of all-time – such as Party Play, Competitive modes and any combination of up to four instruments – the game offers a complete interactive and connected experience bringing friends and foes to the stage in the ultimate rock music experience.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, please visit www.GuitarHero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as “outlook,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “remains,” “to be,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “estimate,” future,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “project,” “remain,” “scheduled,” “set to,” “subject to,” “upcoming” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing’s products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition including from used games and other forms of entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes in technology, industry standards, business models including online and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers that can create high quality “hit” titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic expansion, and the other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

Guitar Hero, Band Hero and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All rights reserved.

While there has been some behind the scenes snickering from the Harmonix team and the public at Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Activision may have found a way to add some serious cred for the game with the addition of the greatest ending song in a rhythm game ever.  You may say, “Wait, even better than Free Bird?”  Yes, even better than Free Bird.  You see, Activision has teamed up with Rush to add the song “2112″ to Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

2112 is a seven part opus from the 2112 album that is considered one of the band’s greatest arrangements ever on a Rush album.  On top of having this song in the game, with all seven parts, the liner notes will be read by band members during each section break of the song.

Say what you want about Guitar Hero, but this to me is a pretty big coup by Activision for their title, that will add a serious amount of weight to its gameplay, and will probably boost sales of the title to Rush fans.  I have to admit that I am now swaying from “no purchase” to “seriously on the fence” with my dollars.

Check the presser for more info on 2112, Rush and how it will all integrate into Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

Activision Unveils Exclusive Guitar Hero(R): Warriors of Rock Partnership with Rock Legends Rush

All-New Story-Based Quest Mode Pays Homage to the Cult Classic RUSH Album, 2112

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 21, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Rush, one of the most influential rock bands in history, have joined together with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero(R): Warriors of Rock to bring their seven-part suite from their classic 2112 album to the game’s all-new, story-based Quest Mode this September. For the first time ever, Guitar Hero(R) fans will embark on an epic voyage playing as eight Guitar Hero characters that transform into rock warriors who must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down “The Beast” to save rock.

“The music, the story and the journey of 2112 lends itself perfectly to the quest in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock,” said Geddy Lee of Rush. “In our story, the caves of 2112 are where our hero finds the lost guitar and this rediscovery of music is much like the Guitar Hero warriors’ journey to find the Demi-God of Rock’s Legendary guitar, which has been trapped in a cavern.”

“I love the idea of Guitar Hero; they have combined two great things – music and fun,” said Alex Lifeson of Rush. “I think it’s a great way to introduce people of all ages to music of various styles by all kinds of different bands, while providing a launching pad for kids who want to get into playing music.”

Within the narrative-driven journey, Rush and Guitar Hero fans alike will experience 2112 in a totally new and authentic way while traversing the exclusive three-part 2112 Rush-inspired venue and playing their way through the 20 minute, seven-part suite. Additionally, each song transition will feature band members narrating liner notes from the 2112 album. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will include:

•”2112 Pt. 1 – Overture”

•”2112 Pt. 2 – The Temples Of Syrinx”

•”2112 Pt. 3 – Discovery”

•”2112 Pt. 4 – Presentation”

•”2112 Pt. 5 – Oracle: The Dream”

•”2112 Pt. 6 – Soliloquy”

•”2112 Pt. 7 – Grand Finale”

“Our collaborations with legendary artists and bands, like Rush, are key to creating an original rock experience and have helped drive Guitar Hero’s success,” said David Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Guitar Hero. “The journey that Rush’s 2112 seven-part suite takes fans on fits flawlessly within the story Neversoft has expertly created for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and perfectly adds to the authenticity of the game.”

In Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, join with friends on an epic rock journey to save rock n’ roll. Featuring the most music ever in a Guitar Hero game with an impressive 90+ track set list and a host of all-new gameplay features, living room legends and their friends can strum, drum and wail in the most immersive music videogame experience to date. Delivering the quintessential rock music collection that focuses on guitar shredding hits from bands such as Black Sabbath, Slipknot and Megadeth and larger-than-life band anthems from Queen, Muse and KISS, players can unleash more rewards and unlockable content than ever before in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s Quest Mode, the franchise’s first ever story-based mode, and Quickplay+, which invites challenge-starved fanatics to test their rock skills. Running on the powerful Guitar Hero engine that has been expanded and refined and with encores from the critically-acclaimed and fan favorite gameplay features that made Guitar Hero one of the most popular franchises of all-time – such as Party Play, Competitive modes and any combination of up to four instruments – the game offers a complete interactive and connected experience bringing friends and foes to the stage in the ultimate rock music experience.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. The game is rated “T” (Teen – Lyrics, Mild Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes) by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, please visit www.GuitarHero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as “outlook,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “remains,” “to be,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “estimate,” future,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “project,” “remain,” “scheduled,” “set to,” “subject to,” “upcoming” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing’s products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition including from used games and other forms of entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes in technology, industry standards, business models including online and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers that can create high quality “hit” titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic expansion, and the other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

Guitar Hero and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.

If you follow Rock Band on Twitter, you may have noticed their corporate voice getting a little bit snarky. The RB Twitter has been calling out “that other game” as being lacking in the DLC department. For two weeks in a row, RB has noticed that the Guitar Hero DLC has included songs that were available on Rock Band months ago. They have even created a hashtag #AORB to indicate Already On Rock Band. Plenty of fans are retweeting with appended giggles, but at least one Twitterer called it tacky. What do you think?

With the start of the Summer of Arcade 2010 nearly upon us on Xbox Live, Microsoft gave us a small preview of some of the items we can expect in the first week or two of deals.  First up was the announcement that Secret of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge Special Edition will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade on July 7th at a price of 800 points.  This sequel will have the same updated graphics that we had in the first Monkey Island Special Edition, and will continue the great adventures of our bumbling pirate hero, Guybrush Threepwood.

Also, for release will be two new add-on packs for two beloved arcade titles, Toy Soldiers and Worms Armageddon.  Toy Soldiers gets “The Kaiser’s Battle” at a cool 400 Loonies on June 30th, while Worms Armageddon receives the Battle Pack add on for 400 Loonies on July 7th.

We also have a week of critically reiewed games on sale this week, including Chime, Darwinia +, Defense Grid: The Awakening, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom and Poker Smash.  All of these have been marked down 25-50% for this week only.

Lastly, we will have a LIVEapalooza event between July 6th and July 12th, and it will offer up discounts on Rock Band tracks, Guitar Hero tracks and Lips tracks.  No word on what will be in those deals, but stay tuned for more info in the near future.

Take a look at the jump for all the details in the presser.

Summer is officially here, and Xbox LIVE is bringing the heat with sizzling deals, summery duds and hot new hits!

If you didn’t have the chance to sing along to your favorite bands at summer festivals, Xbox LIVE has you covered with LIVEapalooza. From July 6 through July 12, start a dance party on Xbox LIVE where you, your Avatar and your friends from around the globe can rally for a limited time sale on top music game add-ons. We’re discounting albums, track packs and songs for “Rock Band” (MTV Games), “Guitar Hero®” 5” and “Band Hero®” (Activision Publishing Inc.) and “Lips” (Microsoft Game Studios). From Green Day to The Rolling Stones, the stage is yours.

What’s summer without a little fun in the sun? Grab your toy soldiers and watch out for monkeys as you dive into three great new downloadable games and game add-ons, coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade.

· Monkey Island™ 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge™ (LucasArts)

July 7 | 800 Microsoft Points

This all-new “Monkey Island” adventure is bringing you more pirates, more adventure and more monkeys! Relive the second hilarious swashbuckling misadventure of the wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood as he searches for the lost treasure of Big Whoop, attempts to win back the beautiful Elaine Marley and takes on the now evil zombie pirate, LeChuck. Rating pending by the ESRB.

· Toy Soldiers “The Kaiser’s Battle” Game Add-On (Microsoft Game Studios)

June 30 | 400 Microsoft Points

“Toy Soldiers” Add-on content is here! “The Kaiser’s Battle” allows players to enter the fray as the French Army, take on a new experimental boss, earn 3 new achievements and battle into the midnight hours in new multiplayer and Survival Mode maps.

· Worms 2 Armageddon Battle Pack Game Add-on (Microsoft Game Studios)

July 7 | 400 Microsoft Points

Incoming! Say hello to the “Worms 2 Armageddon Battle Pack.” This Game Add-on package adds to “Worms 2 Armageddon” with the addition of six new weapons, thirty new single-player missions, an all-new game mode called “Survivor,” ten new Forts, new speechbanks, additional Achievements, Player Titles, leaderboards and much, much more! It’s a package high on content and explosive goodness, a must for all “Worms” fans out there.

Save your summer cash for sunscreen and shades thanks to awesome discounts through Deal of the Week. During the week of June 28, enjoy six Critics’ Choice titles, all with a Metacritic rating of 80 and above, at discounted prices on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. From defending your grid to rioting your rocket, you’ll have your pick of blockbuster hits at great value to you, your tan, and your wallet.

· Chime (Valcon Games)

Week of June 28 | 240 Microsoft Points

“Chime” pits gamers against the melody in this all-new puzzle experience. Place blocks against the clock and remix famous artists’ music tracks in this challenging and addictive puzzle game. Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and available worldwide.

· Darwinia+ (Introversion Software)

Week of June 28 | 800 Microsoft Points

Winner of three awards at the prestigious Independent Games Festival for Technical Excellence, innovation in Visual Art and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize, “Darwinia+” brings an original virtual world to Xbox LIVE Arcade. The peaceful existence of the Darwinians is now threatened by the evil virus that has infected Darwinia and decimated their numbers – without your help, they don’t stand a chance! With a combination of fast-paced action and strategic battle-planning, choose from ten fantastic single player levels or five action-packed multiplayer game modes over 49 unique maps. Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

· Defense Grid: The Awakening (Hidden Path Entertainment Inc)

Week of June 28 | 400 Microsoft Points

The award-winning, fan favorite “Defense Grid: The Awakening” is on sale this week! “Defense Grid” is easy to pick up for players of all skill levels, engrossing to play, and hard to you won’t want to put it down. Strategically place your towers on the map to prevent alien enemies from stealing your power cores and win the game. “Defense Grid” includes ten hours of story play with twenty unique maps in “The Awakening” campaign, four bonus Borderlands maps, a wide variety of tower and enemy types, an interactive soundtrack, plus over one hundred unlockable challenge modes, adding dozens of hours of additional fun. Protect the Cores! Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 years and older by the ESRB and available worldwide.

· The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom (2K Play)

Week of June 28 | 400 Microsoft Points

In “The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom,” create your own paradox. Enter a macabre and comical silent world filled with mischief, time travel and delicious pie. Record yourself and harness your time-bending abilities to cooperate, compete against and disrupt your past, present and future selves. Winterbottom’s debut misadventures present a whimsical spin on the notions of time, space and play. Help Winterbottom travel through over 75 levels, causing mischief and mayhem in pursuit of the mysterious and elusive Chronoberry Pie on his spectacular journey through space-time. Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and available worldwide (except Japan and Korea).

· Poker Smash™ (Microsoft Game Studios)

Week of June 28 | 400 Microsoft Points

“Poker Smash™” is an action-packed puzzle game with a poker twist. This game expands on the traditional match-three puzzle mechanic with elements of one of the world’s most popular card games: poker. Make vertical and horizontal matches by forming poker hands, and play in seven different game modes, including multiplayer. Fast and fluid controls paired with radical features such as super-slow motion and card-blasting bombs make this game a whole new puzzle experience! Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and available worldwide.

· Rocket Riot™ (THQ)

Week of June 28 | 400 Microsoft Points

Strap on your bazooka soldier, and get ready for the awesome action-packed side-view shooter “Rocket Riot™.” In this highly-stylized eight-bit era style game, blast your way through the environment against enemies or multiplayer foes online. Navigate through a completely destructible environment, uncover special power-ups, or even burrow into different areas of the map. The map regenerates, keeping the action fast-paced, but time doesn’t heal all wounds. Rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and available worldwide (except Japan).

Stay tuned for the next volume of the Xbox LIVE Newsbeat, the first to debut after E3, on July 6!

First off, our DJ Hero pack features one mix and two beat juggles, with Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” mixed with Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film”, a beat juggle with The Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons” and a beat juggle featuring Rihanna’s “S.O.S.”.  This Dance Party Mix Pack will set you back 640 Microsoft Loonies, $7.99 on the Playstation 3 and individually downloadable on Wii for 300 Points each.

The Guitar Hero Pop 1 Track Pack will feature Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance”, Maroon 5′s “This Love” and Owl City’s “Fireflies”.  This pack will be available for 440 Microsoft Loonies, $5.49 on the Playstation 3 and as individual tracks on the Wii for 200 Points.  The tracks are also available individually on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 for 160 Loonies or $1.99 respectively.

Check the press release after the jump for more info.

Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Maroon 5, Duran Duran and More Get Block Parties Rockin’ This 4th of July With New Jams for Guitar Hero(R) and DJ Hero(R)

Award-Winning Hits Available as Downloadable Songs and Mixes From World Renowned Pop Sensations

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 29, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Axe shredding rockaholics, virtual mix maestros and all of their friends will come together and party this holiday weekend with new downloadable content for Activision Publishing Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero(R) and DJ Hero(R). Available today and featuring some of the biggest hits from global pop sensations such as Lady Gaga, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Duran Duran and Maroon 5, the Pop 1 Track Pack for the Guitar Hero Music Library and the DJ Hero Dance Party Mix Pack will provide hours of nonstop, party rockin’, beat blastin’ entertainment for the whole crew to enjoy.

Setting the ones and twos ablaze today, the DJ Hero Dance Party Mix Pack delivers a trio of new mixes – Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” Mixed With “Girls On Film” by Duran Duran, Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons” beat juggle and Rihanna’s “S.O.S.” beat juggle – that will have digital DJ’s spinning, scratching and battling as they take their 4th of July parties to the next level.

Guitar Hero fans looking to pick up their axes, grab their drum sticks or rock the mic right are in for a treat this weekend with a trio of hit pop artists in the Pop 1 Track Pack for the Guitar Hero Music Library that will have these budding musicians rocking out with all their friends to Lady Gaga’s club anthem, “Just Dance,” Maroon 5′s hit single, “This Love” and the Synthpop hit, “Fireflies,” by Owl City.

The Guitar Hero Pop 1 Track Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points, on the PlayStation(R)Store for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system for $5.49 and for Wii(TM) for 550 Wii Points(TM). All songs in the track pack will also be released as downloadable singles for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Wii for 200 Wii Points each.

The DJ Hero Dance Party Mix Pack will be available on Xbox 360 for 640 Microsoft Points and PLAYSTATION 3 system for $7.99. All mixes will be released as downloadable singles for Wii for 300 Wii Points each.

For more information about Guitar Hero and the entire line-up of downloadable songs and disc imports, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

Available now, DJ Hero was developed by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment systems and Wii. The game is rated “T” (Teen – Mild Suggestive Themes, Lyrics) by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero, please visit www.djhero.com, www.facebook.com/djhero and www.twitter.com/djhero.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as “outlook,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “remains,” “to be,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “estimate,” future,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “project,” “remain,” “scheduled,” “set to,” “subject to,” “upcoming” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing’s products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition including from used games and other forms of entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes in technology, industry standards, business models including online and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers that can create high quality “hit” titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic expansion, and the other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.