Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has revealed their plans for the Guitar Hero franchise to Conde Nast’s Portfolio magazine. In short, they’re making it more like Rock Band. Kotick told Portfolio:
It’s not just about guitars […] We’ll include a lot of other instruments, vocals.
Time to let your hair out and start rocking hard because Activision have just released three new classic rock songs for Guitar Hero III download. The tracks on offer are Foreigner’s “Juke Box Hero,” Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” and Boston’s “Peace of Mind“. I’m sure it’s pretty safe to say that Any Way You Want It will be blaring from dorm rooms for some months. The Pack is going for the usual Xbox Live for 500 points, or US$6.25.
via Joystiq
Wii owners can breathe a sigh of relief - Activision has told Guitar Hero III owners to expect their replacement discs in February. If you have been living in a cave the past few months, the reason for the replacement discs is that the Wii version of Guitar Hero III only outputs mono sound. Those of you who haven’t yet signed up for your replacement disc can do so here.
Activision has announced their Guitar Hero franchise has sold over 14 million units in North America alone, resulting in US$1 billion in revenue. Activision acquired Red Octane six months after release of the first Guitar Hero for a paltry $100 million. It’s little wonder they were the most successful game company of last year.
via Wii Fanboy
NPD figures have shown that Activision are the clear winners in both console and handheld game sales for 2007. The company held a record market share of 16.8%, up 7.9% from last year. In November five of the best selling games in dollar value were Activision games, with the top two consisting of Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4. Between Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and now World of Warcraft there really is no stopping the company.
via 1Up
Activision have released the nest set of songs to hit the downloads for Guitar Hero III. The next pack in the works is a Warner/Reprise Track Pack featuring “Pretty Handsome Awkward” by The Used, “No More Sorrow” by Linkin Park and “Sleeping Giant” by Mastodon. The pack will sell for US$6.25 on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.
On the individual track front Activision have decided to reward its European customers with three individually downloadable songs. They are “So Payaso” by Extremoduro, “Antisocial” by Trust and “Ernten Was Wir Säen” by Die Fantastischen Vier. We aren’t sure how much these will go for yet but will tell you when we know.
Saving the best or worst news (depending on your love of free stuff or hate of Christmas themed music) till last is that Guitar Hero III aficionados will be getting an exclusive free track these holidays. The track is a rock rendition of “We Three Kings” by Steve Ouimette.
via Joystiq
Activision have hit out at Harmonix’s accusations that they are to blame for blocking the patch that enables Guitar Hero III controllers in Rock Band. Activision claim that they met with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom over the use of the controller and that they were “unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision.” We are willing to bet that it’s not the discussing that Harmonix were adverse to, but the driving of a truckload of money to Activation’s backdoor.
Activision ends their statement with a pretty obvious jab at Rock Band by saying, “Activision’s top priority is to provide consumers with a seamless marriage of best-in-class hardware and software.” I guess Rock Band isn’t the best-in-class then. Read the full statement after the jump.
Activision have surprised us all with a sneak attack patch for Guitar Hero III. The patch is only for the PS3 and Xbox 360 at the moment – maybe the Wii version will get some love on the remastered discs. The patch features the usual stability improvements and fixes as well as improved online quick match results, calibration screen improvements (to help users with high lag AV systems) and PS3 users are getting the co-op quickplay mode.
via Joystiq
Harmonix has publicly attacked Sony and Activision, claiming that their patch to use the Guitar Hero III controller on the PS3 in Rock Band was blocked. Harmonix claim they had the patch ready by December 4th but “continual objections” by Activision caused Sony to block its release. As a display of good will Harmonix have said that they “believe in an open standard philosophy of hardware and game compatibility” and that they “welcome all third party developers who wish to support our controllers and will provide any required support in order for them to do so.”
Its’ not really a big surprise that Sony would do this (we have all seen how they love their proprietary formats and devices), but I expected less selfish behavior from Activision.
Check after the jump for Harmonix’s statement.
According to EGM’s Quartermann, Bizarre Creation’s new owner Activision may have secured a deal to make a James Bond title. It is rumored that it will contain “a load of driving elements”, hardly surprising as these are the same guys which brought us Project Gotham Racing. With a new Bond movie coming to cinema screens in 2008, be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled for further updates on this story.
via Kotaku
