-
Sing Hero: Are Activision Going After SingStar?
Last week, Activision filed a trademark application for something called Sing Hero. Doesn’t take a genius to work out what that could be all about. I mean, it’s got “Hero” in the title. Just like Activision’s existing Guitar Hero, and upcoming DJ Hero. And it’s got “Sing” in the title. Implying that, well. You sing.…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 11, 2009 -
Activision: Note To Self, Must Do Better On Wii
Like many other big-name publishers, Activision release most of their “big guns” on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Problem is, the Wii is where the money’s at. So it’s time for a change! While beating the same, tired, worn old drum of cheaper consoles that he’s been beating since 2007, Kotick took time…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 10, 2009 -
Guitar Hero Bundles vs Software In Sales Showdown
Activision sell a lot of copies of Guitar Hero. Ever stop to wonder, though, what the breakdown is between sales of the game’s band kit, guitar bundles and plain ol’ game discs? Course you have. And Gamasutra have the answer. Charting sales of all three versions of Guitar Hero: World Tour, they’ve found that, surprisingly…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 10, 2009 -
Ever Wonder How Much Money Game Executives Make?
Having dug through the various filings submitted by companies last year, The Game Trade Journal have compiled a list revealing how much the top video game executives made last year. How much? Let’s just say Activision boss Bobby “What, Me Worry?” Kotick won’t be sleeping on the street any time soon. Or, for that matter,…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 9, 2009 -
Rabbi Overcomes Fear Of Nazis, Courtesy Of Call Of Duty
Somewhat understandably, given the fact he’s Jewish, Rabbi Micah Kelber has always had a few issues with Nazis. Until, that is, he played Call of Duty: World at War. Writing for the Jewish newspaper/website Forward, Kelber says that WaW’s in-your-face moral choices (which you get quite often in the Soviet missions) do more than just…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 6, 2009 -
Report: Guitar Hero: Van Halen One Of Five “Hero” Games Due In ’09
After the release of Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits and Guitar Hero: Modern Hits, Activision has plans to release an additional five games in the series, including one based on Van Halen. Sound familiar? It should, because Activision CEO Bobby Kotick hinted this time last year that Van Halen may be one of…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 6, 2009 -
Guitar Hero: Modern Hits Is Totally Official
While it’s been no secret that Activision has been planning a Modern Hits sequel to its Guitar Hero: On Tour series of Nintendo DS games, the publisher has decided to make it official. Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits will pack in 25 master tracks when it ships this June (alongside Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits)…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 6, 2009 -
Rise Against Debuts New Tune In World Tour
Punk band Rise Against is the latest group to debut music in Guitar Hero World Tour, with the previously unreleased song “Death Blossoms” available next week as part of the Rise Against Track Pack. Chicago punk band Rise Against is no stranger to Guitar Hero, with “Prayer of the Refuge” and “Re-Education (Through Labor)” appearing…
By Mike Fahey Published March 6, 2009 -
Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits Lands In June With 48 Songs
While Activision has already made Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits public knowledge, we didn’t know what the publisher considers a “greatest hit.” Turns out its four dozen tracks from Guitar Hero I, II and III. That includes, but is not limited to, (deep breath) “Them Bones” by Alice in Chains, “Killer Queen” by Queen, “Nothin’ But…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 4, 2009 -
Guitar Hero Marches On With Queen, Hendrix, and James Bond
Activision details their downloadable content lineup for Guitar Hero World Tour this month, bringing players more Hendrix, a little Queen, a smattering of European tracks, and the James Bond theme song. The month’s downloadable songs kick off this Thursday with the third European track pack, with Italy, Finland, and France represented by Vanilla Sky, The…
By Mike Fahey Published March 3, 2009 -
Court Denies Gibson’s Guitar Hero Lawsuit
Guitar manufacturer Gibson’s grand plans to sue Activision over its Guitar Hero series have been dashed, as the District Court for the Central District of California has ruled against Gibson, denying its patent infringement claims. Gibson filed the suit against Activision last march, albeit “reluctantly,” claiming that Guitar Hero infringed on a nine year old…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 2, 2009 -
Lemmy and King Diamond Gameplay Trailers
Here’s two more Guitar Hero: Metallica trailers, featuring Motorhead and King Diamond, showing the headbanging action you won’t see because you’re concentrating on the note highways. Sweet mercyful crap, dig some of those sets. Of course, the full tracklist has already been revealed, but here’s a viewers guide of the songs in each video: Guitar…
By Owen Good Published March 1, 2009 -
So Which Console Is Buttering Activision’s Bread?
Yup, more fun numbers from Activision’s annual report, released earlier today. In this case, we see which console (or consoles) are buttering Activision’s bread. And the winner? Not a console at all. Like we already covered earlier tonight, Blizzard’s revenue from combined World of Warcraft subscriptions and boxed sales (the “99” figure being almost entirely…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2009 -
How Much Do Blizzard Contribute To Activision’s Bottom Line?
Activision and Blizzard, they’re now tight, combining Guitar Hero and Call of Duty’s dollars with those World of Warcraft rakes in on a monthly basis. But what’s the split between the two? Activision’s freshly-released annual report lets us know (using net revenue as a yardstick). And the winner is…Activision, who for 2008 (and we’re talking…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2009 -
Activision to Publish Bakugan Game
It was only a matter of time before the soaring popularity of card and toy game Bakugan was snatched up by a developer and turned into a video game. Activision today announced they’ve signed a deal with Nelvana Enterprises to develop and distribute a video game based on the toy and animated television series. The…
By Brian Crecente Published February 24, 2009 -
Singularity Screens Show The Power Of Glove
Raven Software‘s Singularity may have an uphill battle ahead of it to convince the first-person shooter market of its unique qualities, but Activision top brass loved it. Supposedly, it play-tested better than anything before it. Perhaps more gamers will need to go hands-on with its unique power glove, the TMD. That’s short for Time Manipulation…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 23, 2009 -
Guitar Hero: Metallica’s King Diamond In Evil Polygons
The inclusion of Mercyful Fate‘s King Diamond will ratchet up the evil in Guitar Hero: Metallica, as well as the Danish black metal quotient. As you can see, Mr. Diamond looks authentically and theatrically evil. That’s partially due to the details, like the appearance of Kind Diamond’s trademark microphone handle, made of real (polygonal) human…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 23, 2009 -
Mystery Rocker is in Fact King Diamond
Probably not much of a surprise, but inspection of the Guitar Hero: Metallica trophies list reveals one for “Rock Out as King Diamond,” meaning he’s a playable character in the game. Gene Simmons is thrilled. Lars Umlaut is readying his own C&D letter. Guitar Hero: Metallica is out March 29 in the U.S., May 5…
By Owen Good Published February 22, 2009 -
Rumor: Brutal Legend Wii, Battlefront III & LEGO Indy 2
A Go Nintendo reader – from the retail sector by the looks of it, given the breadth of tips – has come forward with loads of new information on EA & Activision’s 2009 lineup. Details are scarce beyond some brief listings, so we’ll move straight into those. Note that there are some Lucasarts games in…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 19, 2009