Is Activision really getting sued again? No Doubt!

TMZ reports that the band No Doubt is suing Activision for "the unauthorized use of the No Doubt's name and likeness," in Band Hero, released on November 2. The band is suing for an injunction prohibiting the use of the band members' likenesses in songs other than the three No Doubt tracks included in the game, and seeks an undisclosed amount of damages.

The lawsuit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, claims that the game "transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act," a statement indicative of being able to play any of the game's more than 60 tracks using No Doubt avatars... Read more

It seems that 2009 still has a few surprises left, as Call of Duty publisher Activision today announced a dino-centric first-person shooter due out in less than three weeks.

In Jurassic: The Hunted, players find themselves on an "island lost in time" after venturing into the Bermud ...you know what? The story doesn't matter. What matters is you'll be shooting dinosaurs, sometimes in the face.

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"Get ready to be hunted," said Activision's David Oxford, with today's announcement adding that the game "promises hours of dino-survivalist... Read more

Another instalment of Call of Duty is coming to the Nintendo DS, publisher Activision announced today: the twice-subtitled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized.

Coming from DS Modern Warfare and World at War developer n-Space, Mobilized offers the usual gunplay, along with opportunities to control a battle tank and UAV spy drone, man an AC-130 gunship's cannons, and "hack into enemy computer terminals."

Online multiplayer plays host to up to six players, with a new Survival Mode available which sounds similar to World at War's zombie mode, minus the zombies.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is slated for released alongside Modern Warfare 2 on November 10. Sadly, no special edition with night vision goggles was announced.

Fans of Classic Adventures rejoice: Activision has brought the entire King's Quest and Space Quest collections to Steam.

All seven games in Sierra's King's Quest series are currently available for the 25% discounted price of $15, with the six-game Space Quest series available at the same price.

The system requirements for King's Quest warn that "some games in this collection may run under Windows XP 64 and Vista 32/64, but are not officially supported," so 64-bit users may want to wait on compatibility reports before plunking down their digital money.

Activision also added Artech's space shooter Aces of the Galaxy and Saber's shooter TimeShift to its lineup. Last, and certainly least, Wanako's 3D Ultra Mini Golf Adventures has graced Steam with its extreme presence.

Publisher Activision has hired Dead Space veterans Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey away from EA, with the duo set to lead a new studio in the San Francisco Bay Area that's been tasked with a creating a new game based in an existing Activision franchise.

Schofield had served as executive producer on Dead Space at Visceral Games, formerly known as EA Redwood Shores, and was acting as vice president and general manager of the studio. Condrey, meanwhile, was the studio's COO. The developer's work on Dead Space Extraction and Dante's Inferno is said to be unaffected by the staff changes.

Word of the departures first emerged via GameSpot, with EA and Activision later confirming the news to various sites, including VG247 and IndustryGamers.

With publisher Activision suing Double Fine to block the release of Brutal Legend, the developer has now filed its own countersuit, claiming that Activision is unfairly attempting to avoid competing with the title.

Activision, Double Fine's countersuit claims, aims to "not only to cancel 'Brutal Legend,' but to kill it completely so that 'Guitar Hero' would not have to face the competition."

The whole mess began when Activision apparently passed on Brutal Legend, leading Double Fine to sign with publisher Electronic Arts. Activision now claims it never relinquished its rights to the game, and says it would be "seriously harmed" by its release.

Double Fine filed its countersuit last week. A hearing on the matter is schedule to take place on July 30, roughly two and a half months prior to Brutal Legend's release date of October 13.

Major publisher Activision might drop support for Sony's PlayStation 3 and PSP entirely if the consoles do not become more profitable, CEO Bobby Kotick has told The Times in an interview.

"I'm getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don't make it easy for me to support the platform," Kotick explained. "It's expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better."

"Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation," said Kotick. He states that Call of Duty and Guitar Hero publisher Activision paid Sony over $500 million last year in royalties and other costs, quipping that the figure "probably still worked out at 400 per cent of the profit they made."

"They have to cut the price, because if they don't, the attach rates are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony," he said. "When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console - and the PSP too."

Kotick adds that a new physical interface "could be ideal." Sony announced the motion-sensing camera PlayStation Motion Controller at E3 this year, arriving Spring 2010.

Update 2: Further AP details reveal more of Activision's complaint. The publisher claims Double Fine was paid $15 million to develop Brutal Legend but missed a key deadline last year, allegedly stating that another nine months and $7 million were needed.

While no agreement to get Brutal Legend back on course was ever reached, Activision contests it never gave up publishing rights and as such Double Fine could not take the game to EA. Activision bemoans the loss of its investment not only in Brutal Legend itself, but the ability to sell seemingly lucrative Legend-based downloadable content.

Update: The official Brutal Legend Twitter received a simple update, since removed:

Re: today's bummer news...in the words of the inimitable Ms. Beyonce Knowles, "If you liked it you shoulda put a ring on it".

Original story: Activision is suing Double Fine Productions to stop the release of Brutal Legend, The Associated Press reported, claiming it still holds a valid contract to publish the heavy metal fantasy and has invested roughly $15 million... Read more

Vancouver studio United Front Games, a new developer founded in 2007, has announced it is working on two games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

One of the two projects is a Hong Kong-based action game for Activision, the company revealed in a press release, though no other details on the title were released.

"We have assembled industry talent from around the world, who have worked in senior positions on renowned titles such as the Need for Speed series, SKATE, Bully, Scarface, Godfather, Hulk, Spore and the NHL Sports franchise," said United Front Games general manager Stefan Wessels.

Neversoft's multi-instrument music game Guitar Hero World Tour will arrive on PC and Mac this summer, series owner Activision and porting studio Aspyr announced today.

The PC and Mac editions will sport the same content found in the already available console versions, including the 86 on-disc tracks, the music studio, and support for guitar, bass, drum and vocal play. No mention was made of downloadable content.

It's not the first time that Aspyr has brought Guitar Hero to the PC, as the company has previously worked on the late-arriving Guitar Hero 3 and Guitar Hero Aerosmith ports.

In an effort to bring Wii and Nintendo DS gamers to the moon and back, Activision today announced Space Camp, a new mini-game compilation for the two systems.

Due out in June, the game has players performing variety of space-related activities, including spacecraft maneuvering, some experiments, and even moon defense. The Wii version will offer extraterrestrial multiplayer modes for up to four players.

"What could be more fun than playing as an astronaut in a video game?" asked Activision Publishing representative David Oxford.

The title is being made in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, which operates the real-life Space Camp. Something tells me the game isn't going to be the same as actually going to Space Camp, but at this age, I'll take what I can get.

During a conference call today, Activision confirmed three new Guitar Hero games, including a greatest hits compilation, a new DS game, and a "major restage."

Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits will appear on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, bringing full-band versions of major songs that have appeared in past guitar-only iterations. Greatest Hits marks the first major Guitar Hero title to not appear on the PlayStation 2.

Update: Activision has since announced Greatest Hits for the PlayStation 2.

Both Greatest Hits and the new Nintendo DS game will arrive over the summer. That Nintendo DS game is likely to be Guitar Hero: Modern Hits, which has been previously revealed via trademarks and listings but never officially confirmed.

In addition, Activision Publishing president Mike Griffin revealed that the company is planning a "major re-stage" of the franchise with "all new differentiated Guitar Hero products" in the second half of the year, presumably in the fall holiday season.

The three Guitar Hero games join Guitar Hero: Metallica, which hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 29, followed by PlayStation 2 and Wii editions later on. Activision is also planning to debut the spin-off DJ Hero franchise at some point in 2009.

Sad that you haven't been eaten by a grue lately? Then I've got some (maybe) good news for you.

Zork, the classic PC adventure series, will return as a casual web-based MMO dubbed Legends of Zork. Jolt Online Gaming will be publishing, with the developer not yet specified.

Playable through any internet browser, including the iPhone, the game will put players in the role of a "recently laid-off salesman and part-time loot-gatherer" that is exploring the fallen Great Underground Empire after its economy and stock market collapsed.

Zork officially debuted in 1980, when Infocom published the humorous text-adventure game designed by MIT students Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling, some of which helped form the now-defunct publisher.

Numerous sequels and books followed, with the last major release hitting in 1997: Activision's full-fledged point-and-click graphical adventure Zork: Grand Inquisitor.

Made in agreement with license holder Activision, Legends of Zork will eventually be playable at LegendsofZork.com. A description of the setting follows... Read more

While relatively sluggish sales of Guitar Hero World Tour has some convinced that the music game series has peaked, Signal Hills analyst Todd Greenwald disagrees.

"Guitar Hero sell-through [is] a bit soft, but not a disaster," he explained to Edge. "Despite this 'weakness,' we disagree strongly with those who contend that Guitar Hero is a 'fad,' or that the franchise peaked last year with [Guitar Hero III]."

Explaining his belief, Greenwald noted that the overall franchise is "up substantially (including extensions like Guitar Hero Aerosmith and Guitar Hero On Tour)."

He added that North American sales for the franchises could be over 20% for the year, "while Europe could be up nearly 300 percent."

And with Activision planning to triple Guitar Hero releases by 2010, Greenwald noted the potential of further growth for next year, pointing to titles like Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero: Jimi Hendrix, DJ Hero, "and more."

Details on many of Activision Blizzard's upcoming titles were revealed today during a joint event with in-game advertiser Massive Inc.

According to MTV, Call of Duty 6 is now known as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and is slated to arrive in fall 2009. As previously revealed, series creator and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare veteran Infinity Ward will return for the latest entry.

Furthermore, an in-game shot of Guitar Hero 5 was shown in a demonstration of Massive's in-game advertising strategy for Activision, showing a "Burger King ad to the right of the note highway." Past Guitar Hero games have used similar in-game ads.

Activision also confirmed rumors that the next Tony Hawk title will be played using some type of peripheral rather than with a controller. The skateboarding game will hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and DS in October.

An original James Bond racing title from Project Gotham Racing developer Bizarre Creations was also announced, and is set to debut next September. Bizarre is also working on an original racing title, described by Activision as "Mario Karts meets Forza."

Activision has announced a partnership with the USO, the organization that provides American entertainment to troops stationed overseas, in which Activision will donate cash and games to the organization.

"Through this partnership we are able to bring joy to troops that are serving across the globe this holiday season," said Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith. "The USO is an extraordinary organization and we are committed to working together to develop opportunities that show our support for the troops and celebrate... Read more

Following earlier mentions of Guitar Hero subscriptions, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick today stated that "the ability to offer these [downloadable] songs on a subscription basis may very well result in the newest subscription opportunity in our portfolio."

The statement, made during a financial conference call, came as Kotick was discussing songs made in GH Tunes, a music creation suite that shipped with all versions of Guitar Hero World Tour (PS2, PS3, 360, Wii) last week.

Since the game's release, over 25,000 custom songs have been made and uploaded to its online servers, with the company expecting over 100,000 by the year's end.

As for the sales of the Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit--which packs the game, a wireless guitar, wireless drums and a wired microphone--Activision claimed it was outselling competitors such as Rock Band by a "very wide margin."

The company noted that launch shipments of Guitar Hero World Tour have mostly sold through, but that more units should arrive during the holiday season.

Kotick also joked about the recent deluge of instrument controllers, claiming that, "We generally believe that every man, woman and child needs at least nine guitars."

Activision has inked a deal with IGA Worldwide, the in-game advertisement firm, to serve up ads inside future Activision titles on PlayStation 3.

The first title affected by the Activision deal is to be Neversoft's Guitar Hero: World Tour, due October 26. Other terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Guitar Hero: World Tour, now with 100% more ads on PS3

Dave Anderson of Activision Publishing said in a press release, "By incorporating dynamic in-game advertising in our titles where it is appropriate, we can increase the realism of our games by presenting consumers with authentic environments in genuine settings, while also expanding a key growth opportunity for the company."

"Activision has one of the most impressive stables of games in the video game industry," said Justin Townsend, IGA Worldwide CEO. "To partner with them demonstrates the appeal of in-game advertising to marketers and consumers, alike. We will be able to connect more brands with engaged users than ever before."

While Guitar Hero World Tour (PS2, PS3, 360, Wii) will allow users to create and share their own songs online when the game releases on October 26, publisher Activision will be remove any track that resembles copyrighted material.

"We'll be actively monitoring the site," Neversoft project director Brian Bright explained to 1up. "We can't condone people putting up covers of music. It's really there for original content."

"If there's a licensed song and someone holds the copyright to it, we'll take it down regardless of whether or not someone complains," Activison PR manager Aaron Grant elaborated.

Along with the music creation suite--which allows MIDI track imports--and online sharing tools, the franchise's fourth major release brings drums and vocals to the traditionally guitar-only franchise. The game was developed by Neversoft for the Xbox 360 and PS3, with Vicarious Visions on the Wii edition and Budcat on the PS2.

Updated: GamePolitics is now reporting that the lawsuits are not related to file sharing, according to the attorney representing Activision.

Original story: Game publisher Activision, the house of Guitar Hero (X360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS) and Call of Duty (X360, PS3, PC, Wii), is suing individuals for pirating Activision games, garnering large cash settlements and agreements to stay silent.

Edge reported today that Activision has sued New York man James R. Strickland in federal court for copyright infringement, specifically mentioning the Xbox version of Treyarch's Call of Duty 3.

In response, GamePolitics uncovered "that Activision has engaged in a pattern of such federal suits, in most cases garnering big settlements from individuals who are not represented by attorneys and who, as part of their settlements, agree not to discuss the case."

The report continues, "Activision's court filings do not specify the manner in which their copyrights were violated, or how they came to learn of the violations."

Activision's legal tactic may sound familiar to the one used by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) against filesharers. GamePolitics found a solid connection to those suits: "Activision's lead attorney on the cases, Karin Pagnanelli, has worked on numerous file sharing cases on behalf of clients in the music business."

GamePolitics' sampling of settlements, reproduced below, follows... Read more