Guitar Hero 5

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept 03, 2009 -- Critics are calling Guitar Hero ^® 5 the best Guitar Hero ^® game in years as gamers are getting their first chance to play along with 83 of the hottest bands of today and classic tracks on the latest version of the best-selling music game, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today.

"We've known how great this game is - the new social features like Party Play and RockFest, the variety of music and the consumer value," said Dan Rosensweig, president and chief executive officer of Guitar Hero. "It's rewarding to see that critics and fans agree with us: This is the best Guitar Hero ever."

From brand new features across all platforms like Party Play and Wii ^TM exclusive features such as Roadie Battle and Nintendo DS ^TM connectivity, to the epic set list, reviewers are pointing out the social, musical and innovative features that make Guitar Hero a pop culture phenomenon. Continuing to transform the way people experience music, Guitar Hero 5 hit store shelves this week with unprecedented music variety featuring an expansive, pulse-pounding 85-song on-disc set list, more than 150 songs available via downloadable content, and the capability to import select songs from other Guitar Hero games. The Guitar Hero franchise is one of the fastest growing video game franchises ever with more than $2 billion in retail sales worldwide according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK, and renowned media outlets are already weighing in with glowing reactions and solid review scores for Guitar Hero 5.

Featuring some of music's leading bands and artists across a multitude of genres, the ability for players to rock any way they want with any combination of multiple guitarists, bassists, drummers and singers in any game mode, Guitar Hero 5 allows players to step into the spotlight as iconic rockers of the past, present and future with an all-star line-up of in-game playable characters, including Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana, Garbage's Shirley Manson and Matt Bellamy of Muse. For a limited time, consumers who purchase Guitar Hero 5 will receive the unreleased Guitar Hero ^® Van Halen ^® when they mail in their proof of purchase.

The entire set list is at players' finger tips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from some of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Vampire Weekend. Players take complete control as Guitar Hero 5 allows gamers to personalize and customize how they experience music by being able to play with any in-game instrument combination -- multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, in any game mode. With the game's all-new Party Play Mode, getting the band back together has never been easier. Players can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session. Elevating the Guitar Hero series to new heights with unmatched social gameplay, an enhanced style, new in-game artists and more rock legends, Guitar Hero 5 features new surprises and challenges that will fire-up long-time fret board fanatics and create a new generation of addicts.

Additionally, Guitar Hero fans can take center stage and become the rockstar of the show by playing in-game as their own Xbox Avatar. Taking full advantage of the latest technology available from Xbox LIVE ^® online entertainment network, gamers can choose their band mates and mix and match their Xbox Avatars with Guitar Hero favorites like Judy Nails, Axel Steel and Lars Umlaut, or even rip it up alongside in-game talent.

Published by Activision, Guitar Hero 5 is developed by Neversoft Entertainment for Xbox 360 ^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation ^® 3 computer entertainment system, and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii system from Nintendo. Budcat is developing Guitar Hero 5 for the PlayStation ^® 2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated "T" for "Teen" (mild lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero 5, please visit GH5.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, Russia, Japan, 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 (including next-generation hardware), 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 and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Activision Publishing, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, vendors, licensees, licensors and third-party developers, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates, integration of recent acquisitions and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, Activision Blizzard's success in completing the integration of the operations of Activision Publishing and Vivendi Games in a timely manner, or at all, and the combined company's ability to realize the anticipated benefits and synergies of the transaction to the extent, or in the timeframe, anticipated, and the other factors identified in the risk factors section 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.

© 2009 Activision Publishing, Inc. 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" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. All rights reserved.