For the first time since 1999, publisher Activision will not release Tony Hawk-branded skateboarding game on consoles in the fall.

Instead, the company is plotting a release for the next fiscal year that will, in the words of Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith, re-invent the series "from the ground up." The company's next fiscal year runs from April 2009 to March 2010.

"It won't be your father's Tony Hawk," Gamasutra reports Griffith as saying during a conference call yesterday. "For competitive reasons we're not going to talk about it today, but we're very bullish on the kind of innovation it will bring."

Activision representatives had previously commented that series' formulaic gameplay would be reworked due to the strong performance of EA Black Box's Skate (PS3, X360), which outsold the ninth main Tony Hawk game 2 to 1. No additional details were provided, though it is assumed that series creator Neversoft is helming the project.

While there will not be a new Tony Hawk on consoles until next year, the company did note that a new Nintendo DS entry, developed by Vicarious Visions, is due out later this year.

The next entry in the Activision-owned wartime shooting franchise Call of Duty will take place in a "new military theater," according to Activision Publishing CEO and president Mike Griffith.

Speaking during a conference call yesterday, Griffith said that the unnamed sequel, which many unofficially refer to as Call of Duty 5, will arrive on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS later this year.

The CEO did not elaborate further on the game's setting. His comments suggest that, contrary to past reports, the title may not return to the World War II setting featured in the first three Call of Duty titles.

As pointed out by Gamasutra, no details were provided as to which studio is developing the game. Job listings have indicated that Call of Duty 3 developer Treyarch may be returning to the franchise, with speculation that series creator and Call of Duty 4 developer Infinity Ward is already working on Call of Duty 6.

Growing publisher Activision today reported that its year-to-date 2008 net income totaled some $344 million, a significant increase over its 2007 take of $85 million.

The record profits were pulled from a total revenue of nearly $2.9 billion, up from $1.5 billion the previous year. Activision's fiscal year ends on March 31.

Activision's strong lineup was lead by Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Call of Duty 4, which continued to perform well into the company's fourth quarter. The company records over 9 million sales of Call of Duty 4 as of March 31.

According to the publisher, 82.8% / $2.39 billion of its total revenue came from console software. The sale of portable games brought in 10.8% / $314 million of the overall sum, while PC games only made up a paltry 6.4% / $185 million.

A further breakdown revealed that Xbox 360 sales were responsible for 31% of the company's $2.50 billion publishing revenue, with PlayStation 2 software following at 29%. PlayStation 3 publishing made up 13%, Wii games checked in at 12%, and PC represented 6%. Nintendo DS software publishing followed at 5%, and PSP was responsible for 3%.

Soon to be merged publishers Activision and Vivendi will not be attending this year's E3 Media and Business Summit and have withdrawn from the Entertainment Software Association, Kotaku reports.

Moreover, four other companies—id Software, NCSoft, Codemasters, and Her Entertainment—have also decided not to attend this year's E3, which is organized by the ESA, a group dedicated to the business and public affairs needs of game developers and publishers.

Citing anonymous industry sources, Kotaku claims that the withdrawal of the six publishers from E3 was partially due to developer displeasure with ESA president Mike Gallagher. While in the office, Gallagher oversaw the shutdown of ESA's New York City office and a reduction in the organization's lobbying efforts.

Publisher NCSoft said the withdrawal was due to their current development cycle of their games and was not meant to reflect on the ESA or its leadership. Activision, meanwhile, chalked up its departure from the ESA up to "business reasons."

Several of the developers are holding their own events to showcase upcoming products, with Activision putting on a gamers day the week of E3 and id Software's QuakeCon in August.

The latest entry in the Fun Labs-developed line of Rapala-branded fishing video games will arrive on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii this summer, publisher Activision revealed today.

Titled Rapala Fishing Frenzy, the game includes fishing tournaments, 25 different species of fish, and licensed Rapala lures. The PS3 and X360 editions will feature traditional controls, while the Wii version will utilize the motion-sensitive Wii Remote.

"This is the most exciting, progressive fishing game ever made and every angler's dream," the company boasted.

"A proper fishing game needs to capture the adrenaline-pumping intensity of sport fishing," added Fun Labs representative Adrian Filippini. "Rapala's involvement has resulted in a game with a new level of realistic fishing fun."

Publisher Activision today announced Little League World Series 2008 for the Wii and DS platforms, aimed for release on August 5. The company also released a handful of screenshots from the Wii version of the title.

Little League World Series 2008 offers players the ability to bat, pitch and field using controls developed exclusively for the Wii and DS, and is the first officially licensed Little League to hit "next-gen" consoles.

The game is said to feature sixteen teams—eight from the United States and eight international—character customization, World Series mode and a variety of skill-based challenges. Activision did not disclose the name of the studio developing Little League.

Addressing rumors that Call of Duty creator Infinity Ward will soon be the sole developer of the hit franchise, publisher and studio owner Activision has labeled the claims as "erroneous."

The reports first emerged from Next-Gen, which cited an ex-employee from Activision's soon-to-be-closed Foster City studio.

According to the source, Infinity Ward had somehow renegotiated its contract with owner Activision to become the sole developer of the Call of Duty property following Call of Duty 5, which is reportedly in the works at Call of Duty 3 developer Treyarch.

This act then supposedly contributed to the upcoming closure of... Read more

Publisher Activision recently revealed that its Foster City, CA-based Underground Development studio will be closed by the end of May, GamesIndustry reports.

The studio, which employs some 45 people, most recently worked on the PlayStation 3 port of Splash Damage's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC, PS3, X360). Activision noted that it is trying to find opportunities for all of its employees at other studios owned by the company.

Underground Development was formerly known as Z-Axis, which developed the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX and Agressive Inline series. The developer was acquired by Activision in May of 2002 and renamed Underground Development in February of this year.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said that the fourth installment of Neversoft's Guitar Hero franchise will incorporate additional instruments similar to competitor Harmonix's Rock Band (PS2, PS3, Wii, X360).

"[Guitar Hero IV's] not just about guitars," Kotick told IGN. "We'll include a lot of other instruments, vocals. It will help us expand internationally. It's the first game we've had in which we can use local content and local bands."

The runaway success of the multi-instrument rhythm game Rock Band, which includes drums and vocals on top of guitars, had led many to speculate that the traditionally guitar-only Guitar Hero franchise would eventually see the addition of more instruments.

Guitar Hero IV is expected for release this fall, as the third Guitar Hero title announced by Activision for release in 2008. The first two were announced as Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.

Activision announced that the legendary comic hero Spider-Man is set to return in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (PC, PS2, PS3, X360, Wii, NDS, PSP), developed by Shaba Games and Treyarch.

According to IGN, Web of Shadows will see Spider-Man's return to a free-roaming, open-ended New York that combines web slinging with customizable powers, with an emphasis on vertical combat as well as traditional ground-based assaults on foes.

Moreover, publisher Activision says that the new title will allow gamers choose how they want to play—take up the mantle of the hero, complete missions and protect the innocent, or ignore them and be an anti-hero. Scores of Marvel heroes and villains will appear in the title, offering players the choice of switching sides whenever they want.

Screenshots and a teaser trailer will be available tomorrow morning.

It appears that British metal group Def Leppard may have up to three songs in the upcoming music-rhythm title Guitar Hero IV.

"We're going to have, like, three songs, I think, on Guitar Hero IV," guitarist Phil Collen said on Rockline Radio. "I think Photograph, Animal, and Rock of Ages."

While Guitar Hero IV has yet to be officially announced, franchise owner Activision previously confirmed it is a prepping a new Guitar Hero title for this fall, with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) and Guitar Hero: On Tour (NDS) due this summer.

Update: In its legal filings, Gibson named the six retailers it is targeting for their sales of Guitar Hero: GameStop, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us and Kmart.

Original Story: Guitar manufacturer Gibson has announced that it is pursuing legal action against unspecified retailers for selling publisher Activision's popular Guitar Hero line of music video games, an action that Gibson claims infringes on one of its patents.

"Gibson Guitar took this action reluctantly, but is required to protect its intellectual property and will continue to do so against any other person in accordance with the law and its rights," the company proclaimed in a statement.

Earlier this year, Gibson began claiming that Activision's Guitar Hero games violate a 1999 patent for technology that simulates a concert performance via pre-recorded audio and a musical instrument.

Gibson had previously granted Activision and subsidiary RedOctane the license to use Gibson instruments in the Guitar Hero games, and as a model for the... Read more

Activision has revealed the long-rumored DS rendition of its Guitar Hero franchise and its accompanying peripheral, IGN reports.

Entitled Guitar Hero: On Tour, the game utilizes a peripheral called the Guitar Grip to recreate the Guitar Hero experience. The peripheral plugs into the Nintendo DS's Game Boy Advance slot on the bottom of the system and features four buttons versus the traditional guitar controller's five.

With the peripheral in place, the DS is held in a book-style orientation in which the touch screen is used to strum. The Guitar Grip also features a strap to secure the peripheral and system to gamers' sweaty mitts.

Guitar Hero: On Tour will feature more than 20 licensed songs from bands such as Nirvana, OK Go, and No Doubt, along with the usual slew of unlockable guitarists and other bonuses that gamers expect from the series. The game is developed by Vicarious Visions, and is scheduled for release this summer.

The announcement confirms Guitar Hero: On Tour as one of two Guitar Hero titles revealed by Activision to be due out before the summer, the other being the recently announced Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. A third Guitar Hero title, which is rumored to be Guitar Hero IV, is scheduled for release in the fall.

Following guitar manufacturer Gibson's claims that the wildly successful Guitar Hero franchise violates a 1999 patent, Guitar Hero owner Activision has filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Gibson's patent.

According to the suit, as reported by Reuters, Gibson alleges that the series infringes on a patent for technology that simulates a concert performance via pre-recorded audio and a musical instrument.

Gibson notified Activision of the infringement in a letter on January 7, stating that Activision needed to obtain a license from Gibson .

In response, Activision claimed that Guitar Hero does not violate Gibson's patent, and that the three-year delay between the debut of Guitar Hero and Gibson's allegation has granted the company an implied license.

Interestingly, Gibson previously granted Activision the license to use Gibson instruments in the games and as a model for the series' guitar-shaped ... Read more

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said that Take-Two did not meet his company's criteria for a viable acquisition, GamesIndustry reports.

"We've said that we need a history of profitability, good management, the proprietary technology for a franchise, history of multimillion unit sellers," said Kotick yesterday at the Goldman Sachs Technology Investment Symposium. "Take-Two didn’t fulfill those requirements. Maybe it does over the long-term for EA, but it doesn't for us."

Kotick went on to suggest that EA's recent $2 billion bid for Take-Two is a reaction to Activision's recent success, which saw the company claim the top of the US games publishing heap shortly after brokering a merger with Vivendi in early December of last year.

"You're going to start thinking about what you need to do to maintain your lead," Kotick added. "Without getting into too many of the details of Take-Two, we really like businesses where if we take the risk, we get the reward."

Activision today announced that it will continue the Guitar Hero craze with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, due out in June for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

The game will put you in the shoes of the five member band, following their career from the first performance up till Aerosmith's current status of "rock royalty". As with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions will be developed by Neversoft, with Vicarious Visions behind the Wii edition and Budcat handling the PlayStation 2 iteration.

"Not only is songwriting a bitch, but then it goes and has puppies," commented Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler. Reports of an Aerosmith-centered Guitar Hero appeared last fall, with Activision recently confirming that three new Guitar Hero titles are due out this year.

"We've put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band's history," added guitarist Joe Perry.

To commemorate the announcement, owners of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be able to download the Aerosmith song "Dream On" for free from the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network Store between February 16-18.

The North American console market pulled in $1.18 billion in January 2008, reports sales-tracking firm The NPD Group. Of that figure, $377.8 million was related to video game hardware, with $610.6 million spent on software and $191 million on accessories.

According to NPD, the month's top-selling console titles in North America were:

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 330, 900
2. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 298,100
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Vicarious Visions, Activision, Wii) - 239, 600
4. Rock Band Special Edition Bundle (Harmonix, MTV Games, X360) - 183,800
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Neversoft, Activision, X360) - 182,700
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, Wii) - 172,000
7. Burnout Paradise (Criterion, Electronic Arts) - 140,000
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, PS3) - 140,000
9. Mario Party DS (Nintendo, Nintendo DS) - 138,500
10. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega, Nintendo DS) - 133,000

In terms of revenue, the Xbox 360 version of Harmonix's Rock Band (PS2, PS3, X360) was the month's top performer, bringing in over $30 million thanks to... Read more

Luxoflux's long-lost vehicular car combat title Vigilante 8 will hit the Xbox 360 as a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade title this spring, publisher Activision announced today.

Developed by Isopod Labs, a studio comprised of Luxoflux veterans, Vigilant 8: Arcade is based on the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64 title. Along with the expected graphical tweaks, it will feature eight-person online multiplayer and new, unspecified content.

No price point was specified in today's announcement.

New figures released in Activision's fiscal third quarter report reveals just how much cash the publisher raked in during the holiday season, as well as new details on its upcoming merger with Vivendi Games.

Activision's report states that net revenue for the third quarter clocked in at a record $1.48 billion, up 80% over figures of $824 million in 2007's holiday season. The company also raised its 2008 fiscal year net revenue outlook from $2.45 billion to $2.65 billion, driven by the industry-wide surge in sales figures and the success of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The company also noted that its merger with Vivendi is proceeding as planned, and is currently waiting on clearance from several regulatory commissions and other protocol before the deal can be sealed. Activision anticipates the transaction to be closed in the first half of 2008.

In a conference call earlier today, Activision confirmed that it is planning on new entries in the Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series, as well as a reworking of the long-running Tony Hawk series.

In a financial conference call today, publisher Activision--soon to be Activision Blizzard--confirmed it is working on several new Guitar Hero titles and a new entry in the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance action-RPG franchise, along with new Spider-Man, Tony Hawk, and Call of Duty games.

Two new Guitar Hero titles will apparently be released between April 1 and June 31, 2008, according to FiringSquad. No details were released on either title, though the company did specify that a third Guitar Hero game will be released this fall.

One of those new Guitar Hero games is likely to be the recently-trademarked "Guitar Hero On Tour," which many have speculated to be the long-expected Nintendo DS edition. The fall release is most likely to be Guitar Hero IV, which was mentioned along with several other top Activision-owned brands in earlier financial documents.

While another release in the Tony Hawk skateboarding franchise has always been expected, Activision commented that the next edition will rework the series'... Read more