Maroon 5 Frontman Adam Levine Takes the Stage as a Playable Character in Band Hero(TM)

Maroon 5 Frontman Adam Levine Takes the Stage as a Playable Character in Band Hero(TM)

Famed Vocalist and Guitarist to Appear In-Game Rocking Out to Their No. 1 Single,' She Will Be Loved'

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Adam Levine, popular guitarist and singer for pop-rock band Maroon 5, will soon be able to add virtual rock star to his repertoire as he prepares to take center stage in Band Hero(TM). When the game hits retail stores in November, family and friends will be able to live out their musical fantasies as they strum, drum and sing along to an exciting collection of songs by some of the most popular bands and artists to ever hit a music game. Levine joins Taylor Swift as an exclusive, in-game playable character by lending his popular likeness to Band Hero. Fans will be able to play as Levine as he rocks out to the Grammy nominated "She Will Be Loved," Maroon 5's hit single from their debut album Songs About Jane, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and is Gold and Platinum in more than 35 countries.

"Besides the fact that it is cool to be in a video game, it is also exciting to be thought of as someone that could be in a video game so I am very proud to be a part of Band Hero," said Levine. "It is really amazing actually, it is one of the more unique things I've done in my life and I don't know if I'll ever have that feeling again."

"Adam Levine has collaborated with some of the greatest acts of his time and now Band Hero joins that list," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Guitar Hero . "We are really excited to not only bring his fans a new way to interact with Maroon 5's music but to offer gamers of all ages the chance to play as Levine."

This November, family and friends will come together to ascend the virtual stage and rock their way to superstardom with Band Hero. 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 acts including Taylor Swift, No Doubt, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects and Jackson 5. Headlined by some of the biggest names in music as in-game artists and playable characters, Band Hero is the ultimate party game where players of all ages will be able to experience the signature, easy-to-learn but difficult-to-master Guitar Hero gameplay. Band Hero allows fans to create the band they always dreamed of using any combination of guitar or drum controllers and vocals, providing rockers and performers of all ages the chance to experience and interact with their favorite music.

Published by Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) , Band Hero is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, by Vicarious Visions for the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo and by Budcat for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated E10+ (Everyone 10+ - mild lyrics, mild suggestive themes). For more information about Band Hero, please visit BandHero.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 and Band Hero is a trademark 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.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: ksouthey@activision.com

Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.

CONTACT: Natalie Salzman DaRosa, PR Manager of Guitar Hero,
+1-424-744-5732, ndarosa@guitarhero.com, for Activision Publishing, Inc.

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

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

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Profile: International Entertainment