Guitar Hero(R) Metallica(R) Demo Takes Center Stage On Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace

Guitar Hero(R) Metallica(R) Demo Takes Center Stage On Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gamers itching to get a taste of Guitar Hero(R) Metallica(R) in advance of the game's release need not wait any longer as Activision Publishing Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) announced that the demo will be available today for free download on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. In the demo, virtual rock stars across the globe can shred, drum and wail to Metallica's explosive hits "Sad But True" and "Seek And Destroy," as well as "No Excuses" from Alice In Chains and "Stone Cold Crazy" from Queen, both hand-picked by Metallica as featured guest acts in the game. Set in The Forum venue, highlighting the new in-the-round stage designs and custom camera angles, players can begin honing their skills in single-player and band Quickplay, head-to-head, Face-Off, Pro Face-Off and Battle gameplay modes.

"Ride the Lightning" with musical icons Metallica and 21 other rockin' acts in an all new Guitar Hero(R) experience - Guitar Hero Metallica. Enter the world of Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo and experience the intensity and skill of one of the greatest bands of all time. Shred on the guitar controller, rip on the drum kit controller and wail on the mic to a set list featuring over 45 explosive hits from Metallica's illustrious career and a wide variety of other legendary artists personally selected by the band, such as Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Alice In Chains, System of A Down, Foo Fighters and Queen. Fans will be able to rock as Metallica while performing in venues reminiscent of the band's epic album covers, themes from their music and real world locales.

Guitar Hero Metallica is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. The Wii(TM) home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system versions are being developed by Budcat Creations. The game is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero Metallica, please visit 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.

Guitar Hero Metallica (C) 2009 Activision Publishing, Inc. Guitar Hero, Activision and RedOctane are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. Metallica is a registered trademark of Metallica.

"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.

Source: Activision Publishing, Inc.

CONTACT: Lindsay Morio, +1-424-744-5733, lmorio@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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