Rockers Rise Against to Create and Debut New Song Exclusively in Guitar Hero(R) World Tour

Rockers Rise Against to Create and Debut New Song Exclusively in Guitar Hero(R) World Tour

Previously Unreleased Single 'Death Blossoms' and Two of the Band's Smash Hits To Be Released As Downloadable Content on March 12th

Rise Against to Rock with Guitar Hero(R) Fans as Part of Latest Xbox LIVE(R) Game with Fame Session on March 14th

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On March 12th, Rise Against will join the growing roster of artists to debut exclusively created music to Guitar Hero fans with the debut of "Death Blossoms" as downloadable content for Activision Publishing, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:ATVI) Guitar Hero(R) World Tour.

The Guitar Hero alums, with "Prayer of the Refuge" and "Re-Education (Through Labor)" appearing in previous versions of Guitar Hero, complete the Rise Against Track Pack with "Audience of One," the hit single off the band's new album Appeal to Reason and "Ready to Fall," from their 2006 album The Sufferer & The Witness.

Commemorating the release of the highly anticipated Rise Against Track Pack, virtual rockstars will have the unique opportunity to join Tim McIlrath on the digital stage for performances of Rise Against smash hits. For a chance to rock with the Chicago native in the Game with Fame on March 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM Central (11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Pacific) in Guitar Hero World Tour on the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, send a friend request to the gamertag GHRiseAgainst1.

"Guitar Hero continues to be a platform for artists to deliver new music while gaining invaluable exposure," says Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard. "We are thrilled that Rise Against was willing to compose and record 'Death Blossoms' exclusively for our audience offering fans an opportunity to download music heard nowhere else."

Rise Against is vocalist Tim McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes and guitarist Zach Blair. In spring 2001, the band released their debut CD "The Unraveling" on Fat Wreck Chords. After two years of solid touring, Rise Against recorded "Revolutions Per Minute" (2002), followed by "Siren Song Of The Counter-Culture" (2004). "The Sufferer & the Witness" was released in 2006 and debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Rise Against released their fifth studio album, Appeal To Reason, on DGC/Interscope Records last fall and it debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart as well as spending one week at #1 on the iTunes album chart. First single, "Re-Education (Through Labor)," was a top 2 hit at modern rock radio and new single "Audience Of One" is poised to top the charts as well. Rise Against will embark on a summer headlining tour with special guest Rancid.

The Rise Against Track Pack will be available March 12th on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for Xbox 360(R) for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation(R)Store for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system for $5.49. "Death Blossoms," "Audience of One" and "Ready to Fall" will be released individually as downloadable singles for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Wii(TM) for 200 Wii Points each.

Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero's signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player "Battle of the Bands," which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a wired microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock 'n' roll anthems. Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes(SM) where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.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, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. 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 help 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 and third-party developers, 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 integrating 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 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.

*Online gameplay is only available for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and Wii(TM) and may require an additional subscription.

Guitar Hero World Tour (C) 2009 Activision Publishing, Inc. Guitar Hero, Activision and RedOctane are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

"PlayStation," "PLAYSTATION" and "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Used with Permission. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.

CONTACT: Jordan Dodge, Jr. Publicist of RedOctane, +1-650-930-1258,
jdodge@redoctane.com, for Activision Publishing, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.activision.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/007396.html

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Profile: International Entertainment