Activision responds to Harmonix "patch" claims

Activision has issued a statement responding to Harmonix' claim that the company was deliberately blocking the release of a controller compatibility patch for Rock Band.

As reported earlier, Harmonix alleged that Activision was blocking a patch that would allow the PS3 Guitar Hero III controller to be used with the game Rock Band.

"We have been and remain open to discussions with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom about the use of our technology in Rock Band," Activision replied in a statement.

"Unfortunately for Rock Band users, in this case Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom are unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision."

The terms of the company's response suggest that Activision is possibly seeking a licensing agreement from Harmonix, although no mention has been made regarding the amount of money the company is asking for.

For its part, SCEA is staying out of the row, referring to it as an intellectual property matter that must be resolved between Harmonix/MTV and Activision.

Activision, meanwhile, is facing a class action lawsuit from gamers unhappy that the Wii version of Guitar Hero III outputs only mono sound despite having stereo sound and Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound advertised on the game's packaging and manual.