Band Hero Released Today

Santa Monica, CA – November 3, 2009 – Hitting store shelves throughout North America today, Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Band Hero™ for Wii™, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo DS™ Lite explodes onto the scene with the most exciting and accessible set lists everyone can enjoy at home or on the road, featuring chart-topping tracks from the most popular bands of yesterday and today. With the console versions, up-and-coming pop superstars can create the band of their dreams with any combination of multiple guitarists, bassists, drummers and vocalists or hit all the high notes together in the new karaoke-style Sing-Along mode. Fans can also step into the spotlight as their favorite popular music stars with Taylor Swift and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine making appearances as playable characters.

“Band Hero takes the critically acclaimed Guitar Hero® 5 game features to new heights and delivers the most popular artists into your living room,” said Dan Rosensweig, president and chief executive officer of Guitar Hero®. “As our first E10+ rated console game, Band Hero will become the new soundtrack to family game night.”

Hit the road with Band Hero as Nintendo DS Lite owners join the band with an all-new gameplay experience that allows full band play on-the-go for any combination of guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Featuring an exclusive set list, Band Hero for Nintendo DS Lite extends the renowned guitar-only gameplay from the Guitar Hero® On Tour® series to full band play with the introduction of the innovative Drum Grip™ and use of the built-in microphone for vocal play. Band Hero for Nintendo DS Lite players can also connect to the Wii version to unlock extra gameplay and content including Fan Request challenges.

Band Hero for Wii also features multiple exclusive game modes for Nintendo fans that will allow living room rock stars to interact with their music and friends in a new social gameplay experience. While players and their bands are rocking away on the Wii version of Band Hero, family and friends who own Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi can update and change the band’s set list on the fly giving them the ability to experience the performance they want in DS Party Play. Nintendo DS fans can virtually live the life of a band roadie thanks to Roadie Battle mode which allows up to two Nintendo DS players to connect with two Band Hero Wii guitarists for an intense competition of navigating from one side of the stage to the other trying to sabotage opponents’ equipment while repairing any damage to their own. Band Hero also features Mii™ Freestyle Mode made popular in Guitar Hero 5. In addition, an all-new drum kit controller featuring a slimmer, more sturdy design and quiet ‘floating’ drum heads will be available at launch, bundled exclusively with the Wii band kit version of Band Hero.

Band Hero also offers a great value to owners of multiple Guitar Hero games by allowing players to import select songs from Guitar Hero® 5, Guitar Hero® Smash Hits and Guitar Hero® World Tour. In addition, Guitar Hero fans can play most of their purchased Guitar Hero World Tour or Guitar Hero 5 downloadable content in Band Hero, for a music library that consists of hundreds of tracks.

Brought to you by the makers of Guitar Hero, one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, Band Hero features the hottest chart-topping hits from everyone’s favorite bands including Fall Out Boy, Nelly Furtado, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects and Jackson 5. Band Hero is the ultimate party game where friends and family can choose to join the band or “take five” at any time without interrupting the performance in Party Play mode. Band Hero allows fans to create the band of their dreams, using any combination of vocals and guitar or drum controllers, providing budding pop stars the chance to customize how they interact with and experience their favorite music.

In addition, Band Hero players can step into the spotlight as their own Xbox Avatar in the Xbox 360 version of the game. Taking full advantage of the latest technology available from Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network, pop hopefuls can create the ultimate pop super-group and mix and match their Xbox Avatars with all-new character Quincy Styles, redesigned Guitar Hero favorites like Judy Nails, Midori and Axel Steel, or even alongside in-game talent.

Band Hero was developed by Neversoft Entertainment for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, by Vicarious Visions for the Nintendo DS Lite and Wii and by Budcat for the PlayStation 2 system. The game is rated “E10+” (Everyone 10 years and older – Mild Lyrics, Mild Suggestive Themes). Become a fan of Band Hero on Facebook at facebook.com/bandhero and for more information about Band Hero, please visit bandhero.com. For a chance to win a trip to meet Taylor Swift and see her in concert as well as other Band Hero prizing, enter at www.bandhero.com/MeetTaylorSwift.

Courtesy of Activision