Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii | 1 Comment

Several years ago, Activision teamed up with Virtual Playground in hopes of creating a MMO of sorts for its music-based games. The goal was to have it connect with Guitar Hero 7, DJ Hero 3, future Band Hero titles, and more across Wii as well as other consoles.

Ultimately, we never saw the MMO – which would have carried the name “Hero World” – when Activision scrapped all of its “Hero” releases. Virtual Playground attempted to turn the project into different forms as a means of appealing to other partners and receive funding, but its efforts did not result in success. The company ended up filing for bankruptcy in mid-2011, four months after Activision pulled the plug on Hero World.

Take a look at the full report on the MMO from Liam Robertson and Unseen64 below.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 22 Comments

Guitar Hero Live, the developer behind Guitar Hero Live, has been hit with layoffs. Although not confirmed, Eurogamer has heard that roughly 50 people have been made redundant. FreeStyle’s website indicates that 100 staff were housed at the company.

Activision’s official statement is as follows:

Activision and FreeStyle Games leadership have been considering a range of future options for the studio, and have been consulting with staff to explore all alternatives. The collective team have now reached the end of a consultation exercise and the decision has been made to restructure FreeStyleGames to better align the studio resources with future business needs. We are working with the studio teams to explore options to rebalance staff within Activision Blizzard and its related organisations.

The UK remains a key market for Activision Blizzard and FreeStyleGames continues to be a great partner. We thank all of the team for their continued passion, creativity and commitment.

Activision previously stated in February that Guitar Hero Live experienced “lower than expected performance”.

Source

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Guitar Hero Live has added another set of songs, including some beloved 80s classics thanks to three new Premium Shows. Here’s this week’s lineup:

Back to the Eighties

· Europe – Rock the Night
· Lita Ford – Kiss Me Deadly
· Quiet Riot – Bang Your Head (Metal Health)

Stadium Rock Anthems

· Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer
· Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
· KISS – Crazy Crazy Nights

Hair Metal Mayhem

· Poison – Nothin’ But a Good Time
· Mötley Crüe – Girls, Girls, Girls
· L.A. Guns – Rip and Tear

Source: Activision PR

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 36 Comments

Activision has confirmed that it will not have a booth on the E3 2016 show floor. That announcement was made in a new blog post on the publisher’s site today.

For Nintendo, this won’t mean a whole lot. Skylanders probably would have been represented in some fashion, but that would probably be it. It is an interesting move though, as EA had also announced recently that it will be opting for a fan event instead of attending the big gaming expo.

Source

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 10 Comments

Activision is using its Skylanders franchise to support the millions of families affected by autism. Through one-of-a-kind toys, Skylanders and Autism Speaks are teaming up to raise awareness for an important cause during April’s Autism Awareness Month.

These toys are blue and white to reflect Autism Speaks’ official colors. The “Power Blue” Skylanders SuperChargers feature Splat and Trigger Happy, along with their SuperCharged vehicles Splatter Splasher and Gold Rusher. The full set appears in-game as their special colors. The toys are actually on store shelves in the United States and Europe now, with Canada to follow on April 1.

Activision is also extending its plans to promote Autism Awareness Month through the following activities:

– Launching employee education and employee-donation matching programs
– In recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, employees will have the opportunity to participate in the Autism Speaks Walk on April 2 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena
– Making donations to non-profits that are making a difference in the autism community

Source: Activision PR

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 7 Comments

Activision’s 2015 full-year financial results are in. Revenue is reported at $4.6 billion, an increase from $4.4 billion in calendar 2014 with 47.5 percent of that amount stemming from subscriptions, licensing, and other revenue. Operating income is also up from $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion and net income grew from $835 million to $892 million. However, Activision fell a tad short of its revenue target.

Guitar Hero Live and Skylanders SuperChargers both fell short of Activision’s expectations. With Skylanders, there is now increased competition in the market with LEGO Dimensions. More declines are expected for Skylanders in 2016, but another game is in the pipeline. As for Guitar Hero Live, its weakness is attributed to a move to mobile devices.

Source

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Activision and FreeStyleGames are bringing two new Premium Shows to Guitar Hero Live featuring love ballads from across the decades in honor of Valentine’s Day.

The lineup this week includes:

Ballads of Love

Chris Cornell – Arms Around Your Love
Hoobastank – The Reason
Goo Goo Dolls – Iris

Love on the Rocks

Bon Jovi – You Give Love a Bad Name
Motorhead – Heartbreaker
The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Three new GHTV tracks from artists that have been nominated for the Grammy Awards are also available. These are as follows:

Courtney Barnett – Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party
Highly Suspect – Lydia
Elle King – Ex’s & Oh’s

Finally, there’s a Hero Cash sale in GHTV taking place between February 12 and February 15. Play Token bundles will be 50 percent off, as will the Hero Cash skip requirement for Valentine’s Day Premium Show entry.

Source: Activision PR

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 1 Comment

Activision and FreeStyleGames have announced the Guitar Hero Live “Shred-a-Thon”, a special 5-day marathon that will feature the debut of Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce. Shred-a-Thon is live now on a special third channel in GHTV. It’ll run until Monday, February 8th at 10 AM ET / 7 AM PT.

The following tracks are on repeat in the Shred-a-Thon playlist:

Dragonforce – Through the Fire and Flames
Alter Bridge – Cry of Achilles
Megadeth – Hangar 18
Lamb of God – Ghost Walking
Trivium – Strife

After the marathon ends, Through the Fire and Flames will be added to the game’s regular song catalogue.

It’s also worth noting that each song included in Shred-a-Thon is Rival Challenge-enabled, This gives players the option of competing against matchmade players in a head-to-head battle during each song.

Source: Activision PR

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Guitar Hero Live’s latest weekly update is now live. Today’s additions include the debut of the exclusive US and European premiere of Def Leppard’s new music video for one of their latest songs called “Dangerous.” GHTV is the first place in both territories to watch and play along to the latest video from the rockers’ latest self-titled album.

The premiere of the Dangerous music video is the title track in the Def Leppard: On Through The Ages Premium Show. Other new songs are available today as well.

Here’s the full lineup:

Def Leppard: On Through The Ages

– Dangerous
– Let’s Go
– Rock of Ages

Indie Rock

– The Strokes – You Only Live Once
– Miles Kane – Don’t Forget Who You Are
– SKATERS – Miss Teen Massachusetts

Fall Out Boy Live at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2015

– Irresistible (Live)
– Centuries (Live)
– Uma Thurman (Live)

Source: Activision PR

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Guitar Hero Live has been updated with another round of content. Playable live performance from Fall Out Boy at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2015 and a new Premium Show called Pop Power! are accessible in GHTV.

The new tracks that are now are as follows:

Fall Out Boy Live from KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2015

* Fall Out Boy – Irresistible (Live)
* Fall Out Boy – Centuries (Live)
* Fall Out Boy – Uma Thurman (Live)

Pop Power!

* 5 Seconds of Summer – She Looks so Perfect
* Sheppard – Geronimo
* Sky Ferreira – You’re Not the One

Source: Activision PR

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