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

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rush, one of the most influential rock bands in history, have joined together with Activision Publishing, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: 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® 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® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii™ 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 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.

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