ACTIVISION
SHREDS NEW
DETAILS ON
NEXT GUITAR
HERO™ GAME
SUNNYVALE,
CA – May 23,
2007 – After
warming
their amps
in the
basement
garage to
rocking sold
out shows at
Stonehenge,
fans of
Activision,
Inc.’s (Nasdaq:
ATVI) wildly
popular
Guitar Hero™
franchise
will now be
able to
shred like
never before
with the
next
iteration of
the game
that will be
available
this fall.
The new game
will be
released on
the
PlayStation®2
computer
entertainment
system and
PLAYSTATION®3
computer
entertainment
system, Xbox
360™ video
game and
entertainment
system from
Microsoft,
and Wii™
video game
system from
Nintendo.
Turning it
up to 11,
Guitar Hero
fans will
channel
their inner
rock god
using Gibson
Guitar’s Les
Paul and
Kramer
models as
the industry
standard. In
addition,
players will
experience
an
incredible
number of
newly added
features and
explosive
content
including a
new
multiplayer
action-inspired
battle mode,
grueling
boss
battles, a
bevy of
exclusive
unlockable
content and
authentic
rock venues.
Expanded
online
multiplayer
game modes
will also
allow
axe-shredders
worldwide to
compete
head-to-head
for true
legendary
rock status.
While
continuing
to retain
all the key
features
from their
prior
legendary
performances,
fresh
downloadable
content will
be offered
on multiple
platforms,
and players
can now
shred to a
killer set
list from
many of the
gnarliest
rock songs
ever
recorded.
Delivering
more master
tracks than
ever before,
strategic
partnerships
have been
secured with
all the
major and
independent
music record
labels and
publishers
to allow
unrivaled
access to
their deep
history of
music
catalogs,
along with
supplying
artists’
original
recordings
for even
greater
authenticity.
The initial
list of
face-melting
awesomeness
includes:
• Paint It
Black (by
The Rolling
Stones)
• Cherub
Rock (by
Smashing
Pumpkins)
• Sabotage
(by Beastie
Boys)
• The Metal
(by
Tenacious D)
• My Name is
Jonas (by
Weezer)
• Knights of
Cydonia (by
Muse)
• Rock And
Roll All
Nite (as
made famous
by Kiss)
• School’s
Out (as made
famous by
Alice
Cooper)
• Slow Ride
(as made
famous by
Fog Hat)
• Cult of
Personality
(by Living
Colour)
• Barracuda
(as made
famous by
Heart)
For the
first time
ever, Guitar
Hero fans
will also be
able to
thrash and
burn with
new wireless
guitar
controllers
available
for each
platform.
The
exclusive
Gibson
guitars will
include
innovative
features
such as
removable
faceplates
that will
allow fans
to later
personalize
their
guitars and
make it
their own,
and a new
button color
design that
will be
integrated
for an even
greater
authentic
feel and
rock
experience.
Gibson
Guitar’s Les
Paul model
will be the
battle axe
of choice,
and an
industry
standard for
all rock
gods on the
Xbox 360™,
PLAYSTATION®3
system, and
Wii™. After
much
anticipation,
PlayStation®2
system fans
will also be
receiving a
new
exclusive
shape as
well, the
classic
Kramer
guitar, also
a Gibson
brand,
popularized
by hard
rockers and
known for
its body
design,
pickups,
electronics,
and
construction
for furious
finger
fretting.
“The
development
team at
Neversoft
has been
exceptional,
and we’ve
been able to
incorporate
a host of
fresh new
online and
multi-player
game play
modes, along
with
exciting
content into
this version
of Guitar
Hero that
our fans
have been
asking for.
Also, many
of the top
bands and
songs we’ve
tried to get
in the past
are now on
board, and
we’ve
definitely
got some
giant aces
in the hole
to say the
least,” said
Dusty Welch,
head of
publishing
at RedOctane.
“In
addition,
offering a
new line of
Gibson
wireless
guitars for
each
platform is
going to
truly add to
the
authentic
rock star
experience
like no
other.”
The next
iteration of
Guitar Hero,
published by
RedOctane®
and
developed by
Neversoft,
is not yet
rated by the
ESRB. For
more
information
about Guitar
Hero, please
visit the
dedicated
community
site
www.guitarherogame.com.
;
About Gibson
Guitar:
Gibson is
known
worldwide
for
producing
classic
models in
every major
style of
fretted
instrument,
including
acoustic and
electric
guitars,
mandolins,
and banjos.
Gibson’s
HD.6X-PRO
Digital
Guitar
represents
the biggest
advance in
electric
guitar
design in
over 70
years.
Founded in
1894 in
Kalamazoo,
Michigan,
and
headquartered
in Nashville
since 1984,
Gibson
Guitar
Corp.’s
family of
brands now
includes
Epiphone,
Dobro,
Maestro,
Kramer,
Steinberger,
Tobias,
Echoplex,
Electar,
Flatiron,
Gibson
Baldwin
Music
Education,
Slingerland,
Valley Arts,
Maestro,
Oberheim,
Sunshine
Piano, Take
Anywhere
Technology,
Baldwin, J&C
Fischer,
Chickering,
Hamilton,
and
Wurlitzer.
Visit
Gibson’s
website at
www.gibson.com
or
www.gibson.com/press
About
Activision,
Inc.:
Headquartered
in Santa
Monica,
California,
Activision,
Inc. is a
leading
worldwide
developer,
publisher
and
distributor
of
interactive
entertainment
and leisure
products.
Founded in
1979,
Activision
posted net
revenues of
$1.47
billion for
the fiscal
year ended
March 31,
2006.
Activision
maintains
operations
in the U.S.,
Canada, the
United
Kingdom,
France,
Germany,
Italy,
Japan,
Australia,
Sweden,
Spain, the
Netherlands
and South
Korea. More
information
about
Activision
and its
products can
be found on
the
company's
World Wide
Web site,
which is
located at
www.activision.com.
# # #
Cautionary
Notes
Regarding
Forward-Looking
Statements:
The
statements
made in this
press
release that
are not
historical
facts are
“forward-looking
statements.”
These
forward-looking
statements
are based on
current
expectations
and
assumptions
that are
subject to
risks and
uncertainties.
The company
cautions
readers of
this press
release that
a number of
important
factors
could cause
Activision’s
actual
future
results to
differ
materially
from those
expressed in
any such
forward-looking
statements.
Such factors
include,
without
limitation,
the findings
of the
special
sub-committee,
the effect
of the
special
sub-committee’s
review and
conclusions
on, and
other
developments
in, the
informal
inquiry
opened by
the SEC in
July 2006
and the
derivative
litigation
filed in
July 2006
against
certain
current and
former
directors
and officers
of the
company, the
possibility
that
additional
claims and
proceedings
will be
commenced,
including
additional
stockholder
litigation,
employee
litigation,
and
additional
actions by
the SEC
and/or other
regulatory
agencies,
and direct
and indirect
expenses and
diversion of
management
time
resulting
from or
relating to
the special
sub-committee
review and
related
regulatory
proceedings
and
litigation,
the
company’s
ability to
timely file
required
reports with
the SEC, and
the
possibility
that the
company will
be subject
to delisting
from The
Nasdaq Stock
Market due
to its
inability to
timely file
periodic
reports
under the
Securities
Exchange Act
of 1934 or
failure to
satisfy
other
requirements
for
continued
listing.
Other
factors that
could cause
Activision’s
actual
future
results to
differ
materially
from those
expressed in
the
forward-looking
statements
set forth in
this release
include,
without
limitation,
other
litigation
(unrelated
to stock
option
granting
practices),
sales of the
company’s
titles,
shifts
consumer
spending
trends, the
seasonal and
cyclical
nature of
the
interactive
game market,
the
company’s
ability to
predict
consumer
preferences
among
competing
hardware
platforms
(including
next-generation
hardware),
declines in
software
pricing,
product
returns and
price
protection,
product
delays,
retail
acceptance
of the
company’s
products,
adoption
rate of new
hardware and
related
software,
industry
competition,
rapid
changes in
technology
and industry
standards,
protection
of
proprietary
rights,
maintenance
of
relationships
with key
personnel,
vendors and
third-party
developers,
international
economic and
political
conditions,
natural
disasters,
integration
of recently
acquired
subsidiaries,
and
identification
of suitable
future
acquisition
opportunities.
These
important
factors and
other
factors that
potentially
could cause
actual
future
results to
differ
materially
from current
expectations
are
described in
our filings
with the
SEC,
including
the
company’s
most recent
annual
report on
Form 10-K,
quarterly
report on
Form 10-Q
and current
reports on
Form 8-K.
Readers of
this press
release are
referred to
such
filings. The
forward-looking
statements
in this
press
release are
based upon
information
available to
the company
as of the
date of the
release, and
the company
assumes no
obligations
to update
any such
forward-looking
statement.
The company
may change
its
intention,
belief or
expectation,
at any time
and without
notice,
based upon
any changes
in the
enumerated
factors or
in the
company’s
assumptions,
or
otherwise,
and
forward-looking
statements
believed to
be true when
made may
ultimately
prove to be
incorrect.
These
statements
are not
guarantees
of future
performance
and are
subject to
risks,
uncertainties
and other
factors,
some of
which are
beyond the
company’s
control and
may cause
our actual
results to
differ
materially
from our
current
expectations.
© 2006-2007
Activision
Publishing,
Inc. Guitar
Hero is a
trademark
and
Activision
and
RedOctane
are
registered
trademarks
of
Activision
Publishing,
Inc. All
Gibson
marks,
logos, trade
dress,
guitar
models and
related
rights
provided
pursuant to
license from
Gibson
Guitar Corp.
“PlayStation”,
“PLAYSTATION”
and “PS”
Family logo
are
registered
trademarks
of Sony
Computer
Entertainment
Inc.
Used with
Permission.
Microsoft,
Xbox, Xbox
360, Xbox
LIVE, and
the Xbox
logos are
trademarks
of the
Microsoft
group of
companies.
Wii and the
Wii logo are
trademarks
of Nintendo.
© 2006
Nintendo.
All other
trademarks
and trade
names are
the
properties
of their
respective
owners. All
rights
reserved.