Occassionally villified Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has made another revelation bound to spark some interesting conversation, admitting that "the goal that I had [at Activision]...about 10 years ago was to take all the fun out of making video games."

The comment came during a Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference attended by GameSpot, during which Kotick spoke rather frankly regarding the company's culture, future and focus on profit.

The head of Activision Blizzard--one of, if not the, largest game publishers, known for such hits as Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft--noted that the company's incentive program "really rewards profit and nothing else," adding that "skepticism, pessimism, and fear" are used to keep employees "focused on the deep... Read more

Activision will release more James Bond, Tony Hawk and Spider-Man games in 2010, Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith affirmed in a conference call today.

No specific platforms or developers were mentioned, with the new Tony Hawk coming in addition to the fall-due, skateboard peripheral-packing Tony Hawk: Ride. Rumors that Prototype developer Radical was working on a new Spider-Man game emerged earlier this year, though no official confirmation or denial ever surfaced.

Other 2010 releases from Activision include games based on films Shrek 4 and How to Train Your Dragon, plus a mysterious "innovation property" in the action genre.

The new game from Project Gotham Racing developer Bizarre Creations is an action-racer called Blur, publisher and owner Activision Blizzard announced today.

Featuring the real-world locations and cars you'd expect from Bizarre, Blur's 20-vehicles races will also include power-ups, with the companies hyping Blur as the "ultimate wheel-to-wheel racing action experience" that will "revolutionize [the] racing genre."

"We did our homework and saw a huge opportunity to move beyond traditional racers and create a game completely focused on making racing 'fun' again... Read more

Publisher Activision started the year with a strong quarter, reporting better-than-expected revenue on strong performance from Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.

The company racked up net revenue of $981 million in the quarter ending in March 31, more than $120 million over its expectations. Notably, 32% of this revenue, or $314 million, came from the MMORPG segment--namely, World of Warcraft.

"Our better-than-expected first quarter results were driven by strong global consumer response to the Call of Duty and Guitar Hero franchises and Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, despite challenging economic times," said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.

Half-Life 2 developer Valve today filed suit against Activision, owner of former HL2 publisher Sierra, over a 2002 lawsuit regarding cyber-cafe licensing.

Valve originally won its dispute with Sierra, and was awarded $2,391,932 in its favor. However, Activision paid Valve only $1,967,796 last week, claiming that the missing $424k had already been doled out over the years, as pointed out by GamePolitics.

Not all that happy with Activision's appraisal of the situation, Valve sued the publisher this Tuesday. As promised, Activision is now threatening to countersue.

And in the span of time that it took you to read this, Activision Blizzard probably earned another $400,000. This one is about principle.

Citing anonymous sources, a new report from Variety's Cut Scene Blog claims that studio owner Activision Blizzard has Prototype developer Radical working on a new Spider-Man game, with High Moon, The Bourne Conspiracy folks, on Transformers.

High Moon's Transformers game won't be based on any particular movie, Variety claims, and should be expected to arrive at some point in 2010. Activision has previously announced that the game for the second movie is due this June.

As for Radical's Spider-Man, the site merely noted that the open-world wall-running exploits of Prototype are a near-perfect fit for a Spider-Man game. No release estimate was provided, with Variety doubting that this fall's Spider-Man game will be Radical's.

While Activision has yet to comment on the rumors, more Spider-Man and Transformers titles would come as no surprise for the sequel-heavy publisher, especially in the wake of the marketing leak last year that detailed 14 different Spider-Man game concepts.

While the L.A. Superior Court refused to grant "any restraining order" against Activision last week, that apparently changed today, as Genius Products and Numark today announced that they now have a temporary restraining order against Activision.

Publisher Genius Products and hardware maker Numark allege that Activision tried to sabotage the development of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ by buying its developer, 7 Studios, to benefit Activision's upcoming DJ Hero. Activision claims that it bought 7 Studios to "bolster its development capabilities" and did not interfere with Scratch.

The announcement specifies that Activision and 7 Studios must turn over "all source code related to Scratch"--including the code for 7 Studios' "pre-existing" development tools--by the end of today due to a ruling from last week, and also sees Genius and Numark reiterate their strongly worded accusations.

Scratch DJ Game LLC, a joint venture between Genius Products, LLC ("Genius") and Numark Industries LLC ("Numark"), announced... Read more

The rumored Guitar Hero Van Halen game has been rated by the German Voluntary Monitoring Organization of Entertainment Software, though publisher Activision has yet to announce it.

The listing first began attracting attention over the weekend, and has since been removed. Fortunately, 1UP snapped a shot before then.

The rating specified the title "Guitar Hero headlining Van Halen," which could be a result of Activision's plans for "major re-stage" of the franchise with "all new differentiated Guitar Hero products" in the second half of this year.

According to earlier rumors, the Van Halen music game is due on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii in August. No official word yet, but we'll let you know.

Activision has denied Genius Products and Numark's recent allegations that it bought 7 Studios, which is developing Scratch: The Ultimate DJ for Genius Products, in order to sabotage Scratch and benefit the upcoming Activision-developed DJ Hero.

According to Activision, the allegations are "nothing more than an attempt by Genius to place blame for the game's delay" and an attempt to hide Genuis' financial situation. Activision says it simply bought 7 Studios to "bolster its development capabilities."

An L.A. Superior Court hearing found "no evidence of any wrongdoing by Activision," the company said. Activision further claims that it did not "interfere with or delay" Scratch, and actually helped the game by providing 7 Studios with "much needed financing."

The lawsuit will have no effect on DJ Hero, Activision stressed, with the company's complete response following below:

Activision Publishing strongly denies the allegations made by Genius Products and Numark Industries and believes that the claims are disingenuous and lack any merit. Yesterday, the L.A. Superior... Read more

The PC Gaming Alliance has lost two of its founding members, as Activision Blizzard, the company behind such major PC titles as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, and hardware manufacturer Acer have left due to membership costs.

PCGA president Randy Stude confirmed the cost-related leaves with Big Download, explaining to Edge Online that "a few members cannot justify the budget (membership and staff) required to maintain an active role in the PC Gaming Alliance at this time."

"Membership turnover is a fact of life in any industry consortium particularly so in the current economy," he added. "The PC Gaming Alliance is an industry consortium that relies on membership dues to achieve its' mission."

Despite the departures, Stude asserted that the non-profit organization, dedicated to improving PC gaming, has seen a "net [membership] gain for 2009," with recent joins including retailer GameStop and Sony DADC, maker of the oft-derided SecuROM DRM.

The war over the lucrative music game genre escalated today, with the publisher of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ suing DJ Hero publisher Activision and Scratch developer 7 Studios over "intentional interference with contract, breach of contract, conversion and misappropriation of trade secrets."

Publisher Genius Products and peripheral manufacturer Numark Industries are claiming that Activision recently purchased Scratch: The Ultimate DJ developer 7 Studios in order to benefit its own upcoming DJ title, DJ Hero.

The suit alleges that Activision and 7 Studios "conspired to withhold the current version of Scratch in an effort to delay the development and release of Scratch and to gain access to proprietary technology."

Scratch explains its version of events in a release:

Prior to undertaking these wrongful actions, Activision approached Genius with an offer to acquire Scratch. The offer was rejected. It is alleged that Activision then commenced the... Read more

Activision, which publishes the popular Guitar Hero series of music video games and develops them through its internal studios, has filed a trademark for "Sing Hero," prompting speculation that the company may be prepping a dedicated karaoke game.

While the Guitar Hero franchise added vocals and drums to its repertoire with last fall's Guitar Hero World Tour, Activision has promised a "major re-stage" of the Guitar Hero franchise with "all new differentiated Guitar Hero products" in the second half of 2009.

That includes at least one more Guitar Hero game, DJ Hero, and, if rumors are to be believed, a dedicated Van Halen music game and something called Band Hero.

Don't forget, Activision plans to triple the amount of Guitar Hero releases by 2010. Three more Guitar Hero games are due out by the end of June, including Guitar Hero Metallica, Guitar Hero Greatest Hits, and Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits.

Guitar Hero publisher Activision has three more unannounced music games planned for 2009, a "source close to the publisher" has allegedly informed Eurogamer.

Hard Rock Van Halen and Band Hero are apparently slated to hit PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii in August and November, respectively. No further details on the games themselves were provided, such as how Band Hero differs from Guitar Hero.

Earlier this year, Activision promised a "major re-stage" of the Guitar Hero franchise with "all new differentiated Guitar Hero products" in the second half of 2009.

The third unannounced game appears to be another Guitar Hero title for the Nintendo DS, which will follow the June-due Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits.

The site further specified that already known efforts Guitar Hero 5 and DJ Hero will arrive in PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii form in October and September, respectively.

Activision has vowed to triple the amount of Guitar Hero releases by 2010. Guitar Hero Metallica arrives on PS3 and Xbox 360 in March, with Wii and PS2 vesions coming later, and Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits will hit the same platforms come June.

Activision Blizzard has reportedly threatened to sue Electronic Arts for publishing Double Fine's upcoming action-adventure game Brutal Legend (PS3, 360), claims Variety.

Though Electronic Arts claimed to pick up the publishing rights for Brutal Legend back in December, Variety's sources indicate that Activision Blizzard views the agreement as invalid due to a belief that it was still engaged in negotiations regarding the game.

Brutal Legend was originally set to be published by Vivendi, which merged with Activision to form Activision Blizzard last year. Following the merger, Activision said that the new company would not publish Brutal Legend and several other games, including 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, Ghostbusters, and The Chronicles of Riddick.

Variety speculates that Activision is seeking a cash payment for the publishing rights, especially as the company has said it has no interest in publishing the game.

As for Electronic Arts, a company representative expressed doubt that Activision would actually sue, explaining that it would "be like a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy."

Publisher Activision Blizzard exceeded expectations in its fourth quarter, posting a loss of $72 million in the three months ending December 31 and saving the company from a painful restructuring.

According to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, the company saw a 20% increase in revenue over 2008 to a total of $5.0 billion. Activision also claimed the top-selling game on every platform for the overall year.

"We won't be distracted by layoffs and restructuring and things that other companies are going to be distracted with," said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick to Reuters.

Activision is planning an ambitious year of releases, with "more products than ever before" set to arrive in 2009. Three of those new games will be new properties.

Kotick added that the company's focus on proven franchises gave it an "unparalleled competitive advantage," but that Activision is still executing a "measured, rigorous" approach to new IP.

The 2007 release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has proven to be the highest-grossing retail game ever, according to Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith.

Guitar Hero III crossed $1 billion in sales during the 2008 during the holiday season, Griffith revealed during an Activision CES presentation, as reported by Edge Online.

Griffith claimed that Guitar Hero III is the first single game to hit the $1 billion milestone at retail. It was released on PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii, with Neversoft on the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, Vicarious Visions on Wii, Budcat on PS2, and Aspyr on PC.

The success of the series has also lead to greater success for the bands it helps promote, with data-tracking firm Nielsen reporting that after a band appears in Guitar Hero, download sales of the band's songs jump between 15% and 843%.

With the nine main Tony Hawk games under its belt, creator Neversoft has relinquished control of the skateboarding series to another development studio.

"It's probably best for the franchise ... it's time for someone else to add fresh ideas to it," Neversoft co-founder Joel Jewett told the Great Falls Tribune.

Instead, the Activision-owned studio will continue to focus on Guitar Hero. Neversoft took over Guitar Hero after creator Harmonix was acquired by MTV in 2006, and has released three entries in the series since. A fourth, Guitar Hero Metallica, is due early this year.

Activision has long hyped the next major Tony Hawk game as something radically different, claiming that the game would be rebuilt "from the ground up" and "won't be your father's Tony Hawk", with frequent reports of a new skateboard controller.

The next Tony Hawk major entry is expected to arrive this fall. Some speculate that the Fight Night veterans at Robomodo are working on the project, as the company announced that it was working with Actvision on a "high-profile extreme sports title."

Yesterday, Activision Blizzard revealed several of its major games for 2009, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Guitar Hero 5. Now, the studio has informed VideoGamer that reports of the games are "speculative as far as we're concerned."

The revelations were part of Activision Blizzard's presentation at a conference held by in-game advertising firm Massive Inc, during which Activision detailed its 2009 releases.

In addition to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Guitar Hero 5, the company also spoke of the next Tony Hawk game. "You're not going to be playing Tony Hawk with a controller in your hands," said an Activision executive, according to journalist N'Gai Croal.

The presentation also specified two new racing titles from Project Gotham Racing series developer Bizarre Creations: a James Bond racing game and another game billed as "Mario Kart meets Forza" by a company representative.

Along with N'Gai, MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo provided coverage, lending further credibility to the reports. Both writers are respected and considered credible. It is speculated that Activision did not expect journalists to be reporting live from the event, and presented confidential information not yet meant for public consumption.

Microsoft's in-game ad firm Massive today announced it has signed separate deals with both publisher Activision and developer Blizzard.

The Blizzard end of the deal will encompass only the company's Battle.net and website advertisements.

"Massive understands and respects our stance against advertising that might detract from gameplay or offend our players," said Blizzard COO Paul Sams.

Under the terms of the Activision deal, Massive will provide its in-game ads to the publisher over several years, for up to 18 Xbox 360 and PC titles. Guitar Hero: World Tour, Quantum of Solace, and Tony Hawk were named as specific titles that Massive would be handling.

Massive and Activision have worked together in the past, with the ad firm running over 330 campaigns with more than 225 advertisers in titles such as Guitar Hero III and Tony Hawk's Proving Ground.

"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," said head of Activision business development Dave Anderson.

Publisher Activision has modified the box art for Left Field Productions' offroad racer Score International Baja 1000 following a legal complaint that the original cover art was too similar to that of the THQ-published, 2XL-developed Baja: Edge of Control.

THQ and Activision settled the issue out of court, reports Patent Arcade, with THQ having dismissed the lawsuit and Activision rolling out redesigned cover art.

Both Baja: Edge of Control (PS3, 360) and Score International Baja 1000 (PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii) are now at retailers, with the new artwork expected to hit shelves shortly.