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It's official: DJ Hero 2 in Fall 2010

by: Chad -
More On: DJ Hero 2
Activision has made it clear that an investment in the DJ Hero franchise would yield more than one game.  Those that enjoyed the original last year will be glad to hear that DJ Hero 2 is on schedule for release this fall.  Players will be able to mix tracks from Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga and over 85 others.  Plus, you can have a multiplayer experience with 2 turntable controllers and a microphone.

The original game plus turntable is easily found under $80 with sales bringing down much lower. This should help increase the install base to improve sales even more by the time DJ Hero 2 is released.  It's being developed for the 360, PS3 and Wii.  Plus, owners of the original can grab a free DJ Hero 2 track from June 8 - 14.  Read on for more details.
DJ HERO® 2 TO SPIN HIT MUSIC WITH ELECTRIFYING SOCIAL EXPERIENCE THIS FALL

Two Turntables and a Microphone, Freestyle Gameplay and Host of Chart-Topping Hits From World’s Hottest Artists Highlight Sequel to #1 New Videogame IP of 2009

Soundtrack to Spin Beats From Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Over 85 Others

Award Winning Producer Deadmau5 Joining the Crew as In-Game Playable Character

Free Download of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” Mixed With Deadmau5’s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” Offered to Celebrate Announcement

SANTA MONICA, CA – June 8, 2010 – This fall, living rooms will transform into nightclubs letting budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all of their friends party together by firing up two turntable controllers and a microphone to experience their favorite music as they’ve never heard it before in Activision Publishing Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero® 2 – the follow-up to the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009, DJ Hero®. Picking up where the award-winning DJ Hero soundtrack left off, DJ Hero 2 spins together the hottest tracks blazing up the charts and legendary club anthems from the biggest artists in pop, dance and hip hop including Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and over 85 others. Fueling the party will be a host of all-new social multiplayer game modes and innovative freestyle gameplay giving virtual DJ’s the ability to crossfade, scratch and sample in over 70 speaker-blowing mashups from the hottest DJ’s and Producers around the world, including Deadmau5 – part of dance music’s elite – who will be starring as an in-game playable character.

To celebrate the announcement, DJ Hero owners and all of their friends will have the opportunity to download, spin, scratch and battle a mix from DJ Hero 2 as downloadable content. The mix features the sultry sounds of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” Mixed With the blistering beats of Deadmau5’s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.” The mix will be available for free from June 8-14 on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

“DJ Hero was the best music game of 2009 and with DJ Hero 2 we’re delivering a new easy to pick-up, challenging-to-master experience that all players can enjoy together,” said David Haddad, Chief Operating Office, Guitar Hero. “With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and an amazing soundtrack, DJ Hero 2 is the ultimate mixer of music and friends.”

“We’re improving upon all the gameplay elements from DJ Hero that gamers loved with the all-new freestyle gameplay and a host of new multiplayer game modes,” said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director, FreeStyleGames. “But we’re not stopping there either as the award-winning soundtrack is getting bigger songs from hotter artists that our talented crew of DJ’s is spinning into hits that fit the gameplay flawlessly.”

DJ Hero 2 will deliver the ultimate way for players to come together and party with a host of new multiplayer modes – including DJ Battles that pit DJ against DJ in mixes produced specifically for battle gameplay – and invite vocalists into the spotlight with integrated on-screen singing and rapping of lyrics and rhymes while bringing the party to life with jump-in/jump-out Party Play gameplay. Featuring the biggest dance, pop and hip-hop hits by the hottest artists everyone knows and loves remixed by world-class DJ’s in an all-new way, the game’s soundtrack delivers over 70 unique creations only available in DJ Hero 2. Further immersing players into the music, the game offers a heightened level of creative input and allows everyone to add their own touch, directly impacting the beats they’re spinning with freestyle scratching, crossfading and sampling. The game will also feature an all-new career-based Empire Mode where players start out as an up-and-coming DJ on the road to becoming the head of a major entertainment empire, all of which is founded solely on their success as a DJ.

Dropping this fall, DJ Hero 2 will invite a wave of new digital disc jockeys to the turntables as the game will be available as a Party Bundle which will include a copy of the game, two turntable controllers and a microphone, offering the ultimate “party-in-a-box.” Gamers who experienced the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009 can pick up DJ Hero 2 as a Turntable Bundle featuring one turntable controller and a copy of the game or as standalone software. The game is in development by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 and the Wii™ system from Nintendo. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero 2, please visit www.djhero.com, facebook.com/djhero and twitter.com/djhero.

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, 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 (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology, industry standards and consumer preferences, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Activision Publishing, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors 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 and tax rates, integration of recent acquisitions and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, 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.

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