Megadeth's 'Sudden Death' and Soundgarden's 'Black Rain' - Both Headliners in Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock - Nominated for GRAMMY Awards

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Headline anthems from Activision Publishing Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) critically-acclaimed Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock – Megadeth's "Sudden Death" and Soundgarden's "Black Rain" – have been nominated for Best Metal Performance and Best Hard Rock Performance, respectively, at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards.  Inspired by, composed exclusively for, and debuted in the game, "Sudden Death" marks the first time an original track created for a videogame has been nominated by The Recording Academy for the prestigious awards.  

To commemorate these exciting nominations, Guitar Hero® is offering a free MP3 of Soundgarden's "Black Rain," the previously recorded song that was finished for inclusion in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, exclusively to all of its over two million Facebook fans. The free download will begin Friday, January 14, 2011, at 12:01 am EST and end Sunday, January 16, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST.  For more information on the free download, please visit facebook.com/guitarhero.  "Black Rain," which debuted in a big way on both the band's first new album in over ten years, Telephantasm, and in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock simultaneously, marked the first time an album has received RIAA platinum certification upon the day of its release.  

"From the first time I played Guitar Hero in Paris several years ago until recently getting my ass handed to me playing at an Activision event in San Francisco, this has been the most fun and most rewarding track I have ever written," said Dave Mustaine of Megadeth.

"We congratulate and are honored to have worked with the metal legends of Megadeth and rock icons Soundgarden on their GRAMMY nominated songs, which were both uniquely integrated with Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs, Activision.  "From reuniting the Sex Pistols with their re-record of "Anarchy in the UK" to delivering Metallica's smash-hit Death Magnetic as downloadable content day and date with the record's release, Guitar Hero continues to be the preeminent interactive music platform, pioneering the music gaming space by bringing new, exclusive content to axe shredders, drummers and fearless frontmen around the world."

Hailed as a "must-have videogame" by CNN and the "best guitar game" by USA Weekend Magazine, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock was released on September 28 and lets players join together on an epic journey to save rock.  Featuring an impressive 90+ track set list and a host of all-new gameplay features, living room legends and all of their friends can strum, drum and wail in the most immersive music videogame experience to date.  For more information about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, downloadable content and disc imports, please visit GuitarHero.com, facebook.com/guitarhero and twitter.com/guitarhero.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com. 

Guitar Hero and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.  Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.