Activision officially announces partnership with Metallica/upcoming lineup

by: Chuck - posted: 7/15/2008 4:48:00 AM

One of the things that got lost in the Microsoft press conference yesterday was the news that Activision has signed a deal with Metallica to release their upcoming album "Death Magnetic" simultaneously in stores and in Guitar Hero III (it will be available for Guitar Hero: World Tour as well).

The company also revealed it's fall lineup (they aren't members of the ESA so it's not an E3 lineup) and it's not too bad:
Call of Duty:World at War
Quantum of Solace
Guitar Hero: World Tour
Spider-Man:Web of Shadows

They also announced the following titles which are in development
Wolfenstein (I guess the id deal is just for Rage)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Singularity (working title from Raven)
Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen
Wolverine (movie tie-in game)

I'm interested to see how Wolfenstein looks and if Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is as good as the first game.  I guess we'll find out tonight at the Activision press conference.

ACTIVISION ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH METALLICA FOR
FIRST EVER SIMULTANEOUS RELEASE OF NEW RECORD “DEATH MAGNETIC” IN
STORES AND FOR DOWNLOAD IN GUITAR HERO® VIDEO GAME

Company Confirms Upcoming Game Lineup and Announces Five New Titles

Santa Monica, CA – July 15, 2007 – Activision Publishing (Nasdaq: ATVID) today revealed that Metallica’s highly-anticipated full studio album, “Death Magnetic,” will be available simultaneously in record stores and as downloadable content for the world’s best-selling rhythm-based video game series, Guitar Hero®. Metallica fans will be able to rock out to new anthems from the band in Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock this September and will be able to unite on drums, guitar and vocals as the album will also be released as downloadable content for Guitar Hero® World Tour when it ships this Fall.

The company also confirmed its upcoming game slate and announced five new titles in development. Activision’s fall 2008 game lineup includes Call of Duty®: World at War, Guitar Hero® World Tour, Quantum of Solace™ and Spider-Man™: Web of Shadows. In addition, the company announced that it is currently in development on Wolfenstein™, the highly anticipated title from id Software; Marvel™ Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion by Vicarious Visions, the sequel to one of the best-selling action RPGs; Singularity (Working Title), a first person action game, based on an all-new wholly owned intellectual property, from Raven Software; a Luxoflux game based on “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, in association with Hasbro, the follow-up to one of 2007’s biggest blockbuster movies and games; and a title based on Twentieth Century Fox/Marvel’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine in development at Raven Software.

“Our strong and balanced portfolio illustrates our ongoing commitment to delivering top-quality entertainment experiences to broad global audiences,” said Mike Griffith, president and CEO of Activision Publishing. “We are particularly excited about this fall’s Guitar Hero World Tour, which will deliver unprecedented innovation to the rhythm-based genre with new instruments, a significantly expanded song list, and a music creator to share user-generated soundtracks. Gamers will also be able to play Metallica’s new album on the day it launches.”