Guitar Hero® hits the ground running as it starts 2010 off with a bang and a great selection of new downloadable tracks. Building upon an already vast catalog of downloadable music compatible with both Guitar Hero® 5 and Band Hero™, the Guitar Hero music library is providing something for everyone this January. Fans can look forward music by Vampire Weekend, Creedence Clearwater Revival, up-and-coming blues artists Tyler Bryant, Joe Bonamassa and Scott McKeon and metal bands Shadows Fall, Amon Amarth and Dethklok.

Guitar Hero fans will be able to experience blues music in its most raw and most pure form today with a three song track pack featuring three up-and-coming blues masters. The New Blues Masters Track Pack will allow players to jam to Tyler Bryant’s “Who I am,” experience the American blues-rock styling’s of Joe Bonamassa with “Lonesome Road Blues,” or rock out to “Broken Man” by Scott McKeon.

Celebrating the January 11 UK and January 12 US release of their newest album, Contra, Vampire Weekend returns to the Guitar Hero stage with a new three-song track pack. On January 14, fans can get their hands on two tracks off Contra, “Holiday,” and “Cousins,” as well as “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance,” a song off their 2008 self-titled debut album Vampire Weekend.

Metal fans are not forgotten this month as Guitar Hero adds three new artists to its ever-expanding line-up. Making their video game debut on January 21 are three well-known metal bands, Shadows Fall, Amon Amarth, and Dethklok. Players can thrash along to “Still I Rise,” a track of Shadows Fall sixth studio album, Retribution, “Twilight of the Thunder God” off Amon Amarths seventh studio album similarly titled, Twilight of the Thunder God, and “Laser Canon Deth Sentence” off Dethkloks second full-length album, Dethalbum II.

American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival comes to Guitar Hero on January 28 with a three song track pack full of their classic hits. Fans should get ready to rock out while playing “Proud Mary,” a track off Creedence Clearwater Revivals second album Bayou Country, “Bad Moon Rising” from their third album Green River and “Travelin’ Band” off their fifth album Cosmo’s Factory.

The New Blues Masters, Vampire Weekend, Metal and Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Packs will be available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points, on the PlayStation®Store for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system for $5.49 and for Wii™ for 550 Wii Points™. In addition, all songs in The New Blues Masters, Vampire Weekend, Metal and Creedence Clearwater Revival Track Packs will be released as downloadable singles for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 160 Microsoft Points, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system for $1.99 and Wii for 200 Wii Points each. The New Blues Masters Track Pack will be available for the Xbox 360 and Wii starting January 7, and for the Playstation 3 starting January 21.

“Guitar Hero Van Halen offers music fans of all generations the chance to experience one of the most renowned and celebrated bands in the world in an entirely unique way,” said Will Kassoy, Senior Vice President, Guitar Hero. “Eddie Van Halen is a guitar legend and this game will give Guitar Hero fans a new appreciation for his talents, while also providing hours of entertainment.”

Guitar Hero Van Halen brings to life the virtuosity and unadulterated fun that has made Van Halen one of the most successful and popular rock and roll acts of the past 30 years. Along with 19 larger than life musical artists, including Queens of the Stone Age, Weezer, The Offspring, Blink-182 and Queen, guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, famous frontman David Lee Roth, dynamic drummer Alex Van Halen and skilled bassist, Wolfgang Van Halen, give fans the chance to own the stage and put on show-stopping performances in the coolest, all-new venues from around the world. With over 25 of Van Halen’s greatest hits from “Jump” to “Panama,” the set list crafted for Guitar Hero Van Halen is the perfect combination of high-energy rock that will appeal to a wide range of fans.

“We want people to know that we are dismayed and very disappointed in the way a facsimile of Kurt is used in the Guitar Hero game. The name and likeness of Kurt Cobain are the sole property of his estate – we have no control whatsoever in that area.

While we were aware of Kurt’s image being used with two Nirvana songs, we didn’t know players have the ability to unlock the character. This feature allows the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants. We urge Activision to do the right thing in “re-locking” Kurt’s character so that this won’t continue in the future.

It’s hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists’ music alongside cartoon characters. Kurt Cobain wrote songs that hold a lot of meaning to people all over the world. We feel he deserves better.”

Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl

With music ranging from one of the first and most influential alternative rock bands, R.E.M., to the timeless GRAMMY® award-winning rock anthem “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced a rich and diverse lineup of launch week downloadable content for the highly-anticipated Guitar Hero® World Tour. Available exclusively on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for two weeks starting October 30, the R.E.M. Track Pack features three songs, which can also be downloaded as singles, from the band’s newest album, Accelerate, “Horse to Water,” “Man-Sized Wreath” and “Supernatural Superserious.”

Available at the launch of Guitar Hero World Tour is the Classic Rock Track Pack that offers fans three rocking party anthems “Rock and Roll Band” by Boston, “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner and “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield, also available for download individually.

Created specifically for Guitar Hero World Tour, the Guitar Duels, original compositions by Ted Nugent and Zakk Wylde, will be available for free at launch to download and play outside of the Career.

The 1990’s era-defining “No Rain” by alternative rock group Blind Melon will be available as downloadable content during the launch week of Guitar Hero World Tour. The breakthrough single off the band’s quadruple platinum, self-titled album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock and U.S. Modern Rock charts and firmly planted the group in 1990s pop culture.

Fans who have been shredding to Metallica’s critically acclaimed Death Magnetic on Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock since its day-and-date release with the album need not purchase the album again as it is forward compatible and will integrate seamlessly with Guitar Hero World Tour. The Death Magnetic downloadable album, compatible with both Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero World Tour, will continue to be available for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and in the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment.

The R.E.M Track Pack, Classic Rock Track Pack and “No Rain” single will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and in the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment.

When the house lights go down on October 26, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour. The latest installment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.