Bobby Kotick and co. got together for the Activision Blizzard earnings report this afternoon and dropped a few numbers on their investors, aside from confirming a mess of games that still haven't officially been announced yet. After reconfirming what we told you a few weeks ago regarding the $1 billion in sales of Guitar Hero III, Kotick went on to note, "In North America, Activision Blizzard was the #1 third-party console and handheld software publisher in dollars for the calendar year, according to The NPD Group."

And how did the company fare during the holiday season? As you might expect, due to releases like Call of Duty: World at War, Guitar Hero: World Tour (which outsold Rock Band 2 at 2:1 in 2008) and a little expansion you may have heard of called Wrath of the Lich King, "Activision Blizzard was the #1 console, handheld and PC publisher in the U.S. and Europe, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk." Unfortunately, during a recession like this, even being "the #1 console, handheld and PC publisher in the U.S. and Europe" wasn't enough, with the company losing $72 million in Q4, or 5 cents a share, and announcing a 2009 outlook that falls shy of Wall Street's expectations. Sometimes it's tough being the king.

Activision recently announced that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has become the first game ever to reach $1 billion in sales. This comes a little under a year from when the publisher announced that the Guitar Hero franchise had surpassed the billion dollar mark. Not bad for a series the company picked up for a pittance at $100 million in 2006.

The success of the franchise isn't just good news for the game industry, as Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith has cited Nielson SoundScan data, which claims that artists featured in the Guitar Hero series have seen download sales increase between 15-843%. As for the publisher's financial standing, if GameStop's top selling holiday titles are any indication, Activision should enjoy a lucrative quarter headlined by Guitar Hero World Tour, Call of Duty: World at War and that Lich King guy from the World of Warcraft.

You may recall a similar headline from the past, where the Guitar Hero franchise earned over $1 billion. Well, another milestone for Activision comes thanks to the previous title to release in the franchise, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. That game alone has generated over $1 billion in sales, making it the first game in history to do so. The news was presented by Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith during a keynote speech at CES.

We're not sure how much an impact the Wii version itself has had, but consider it to be significant. The Wii version of the game has been very popular for quite some time now. Well, up until World Tour released, anyway.

Microsoft looks to be attacking the casual-core this holiday with its bundle strategy and Sam's Club has found itself in the middle of the fight. Sam's Club is offering an exclusive bundle that includes a 60GB Pro console, LEGO Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda and the full version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for $349.99. That's right the entire game and guitar included with the standard Xbox 360 Pro bundle currently on store shelves. Sporting the largest packaging a console has ever seen this Xbox 360 bundle is a fantastic value -- sporting an additional $50 asking price on top of the regular $299 price-tag. On the streets we call this a deal. Now, to Sam's Club!

[via Kotaku]

With the release of Rock Band 2 for the Wii approaching, a flood of information about the game is finally making its way to the eyes and ears of would-be rockers. Yesterday, we heard about all of the awesome DLC we'll have access to and now we've got something for those of you who picked up Guitar Hero III for the Wii.

Posting on the Harmonix boards, one of the developers confirmed that the guitar used in Guitar Hero III for the Wii will be fully compatible with Rock Band 2. So, for those of you who prefer rocking out with a wireless plastic axe, as opposed to the one that comes with the full Rock Band bundle, you're in luck.

No word has been said about Guitar Hero World Tour's guitar and Rock Band 2, but seeing as how Harmonix wants to "encourage the interoperability of instruments between platforms," we're thinking it just might be.

[Thanks, Chris!]

When we think of what games could possibly be the top 5 for the Wii, it doesn't seem like there's much room for mystery. Those that follow the monthly NPD numbers will likely be able to recite the top 5, in order, off the top of their heads. So, let's get to it!

The top 5 games of 2008 so far according to the NPD are:

1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
2. Mario Kart Wii (with wheel)
3. Wii Play
4. Wii Fit (with Balance Board)
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (with guitar)

We're amazed at how well GH3 still continues to do on the Wii. Obviously, Wii Play is no surprise, as it's a constant fixture in the top software titles month after month. And we have a feeling that Wii Fit would be higher on the list if only more people could actually find it.

The first full downloadable album for Guitar Hero III is finally here; Metallica's latest album, Death Magnetic, will debut on GH III on September 12th, the same day it goes on sale worldwide. Exclusive to Guitar Hero will be two versions of the song Suicide & Redemption featuring extended solos by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. The album will also be foward compatible -- all the songs will work in Guitar Hero: World Tour and presumably all the new instruments when it is released in October.

Look for the album this Friday, September 12th on the PS Store for $17.99. Check out the complete tracklist after the jump:

Beginning this Friday, September 12th, you can get a jump on building your Guitar Hero World Tour library by purchasing the new Metallica album, Death Magnetic, on Xbox Live (1440 / $18) or PSN ($17.99) -- you can even practice the guitar parts using Guitar Hero 3. In other words, the DLC album, which happens to be releasing day and date with the not-for-toy-instruments version, is compatible with both games, but you'll have to wait until World Tour is released in late October to channel your inner Lars or reach deep inside your chest cavity to unleash your best Hetfield impersonation. What you will get on Friday, assuming you do have a copy of Guitar Hero 3, is access to two exclusive cuts of "Suicide & Redemption" with extended solos by Hetfield and Kirk Hammett.

"We're proud to be setting a new precedent for our two industries, making an entire new album available in two different mediums simultaneously," Activision's Tim Riley boasted. How about you do us one better? An entire new album available in two different mediums in one download! We'd sure like to export those tunes to our Zune iPod as we wait for World Tour. (But maybe that's just a pipe dream.)

Through the end of October, Microsoft is running an "Extended Play Download Days" promotion on the Xbox Live Marketplace, where they've selected and discounted a few sets of popular DLC.

The discount priced DLC includes content from Beautiful Katamari, Forza 2, Guitar Hero III, Mass Effect and Oblivion with savings ranging from 25-60% off the original prices. That means you can get Mass Effect's Bring Down The Sky DLC for 300 (originally 400), Oblivion's Shivering Isles for 1600 (originally 2400) and GHIII's Foo Fighters Pack for 360 (originally 500). View the complete list of discounted Extended Play Download Days DLC after the jump.

Microsoft is running an "Extended Play Download Days" promotion between now and the end of October, with select downloadable content discounted for six Xbox 360 titles. Sure, half of the promotion consists of Beautiful Katamari accessories and stages, but we've also got Forza Motorsport 2, Mass Effect, Guitar Hero 3, Lost Odyssey and a deep discount for Oblivion Shivering Isles (from $30 to $20). Not coincidentally, today also marks the first day of the new Xbox 360 price drop.

Best Buy has a rather enjoyable Guitar Hero III offer where, with a successful pre-order of Metallica's upcoming Death Magnet album, you'll receive eleven GHIII tracks. DLC tracks that we presume come from the album itself. There are three different flavors of the album to pre-order that range from $10 to $30 that'll get you the free songs (while supplies last). Metallica fans, it's time to go shopping.

[Thanks, SidearmS]

British power metal squealers DragonForce will debut a new and inevitably over-the-top single in a Guitar Hero III track pack later this week. Taken from their new album, Ultra Beatdown, "Heroes of Our Time" will no doubt challenge serious shredders with a never-ending string of shifting notes and finger-knot solos when it arrives on Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store on August 21.

The DragonForce Track Pack will also provide two other overwrought songs, namely "Revolution Deathsquad" and "Operation Ground and Pound," from the album dubbed Inhuman Rampage. Expect this one to go for the usual 500 MS Points ($6.25).

[Via press release]

Now that Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Revolution are all headed our way, Xbox 360 gamers will soon be flooded with new instrument peripherals. This raises the question: which instruments will work with which games? Joystiq has stepped up to the proverbial plate and provided the answer: the Joystiq Instrument Compatibility Matrix 3.0. If you're planning to pick up any of these upcoming music games (and you really should be), consulting this handy chart is a must. It will be updated as new information is released, so be sure to bookmark it for the next time you've got a hankering for a new plastic instrument.

Rhythm games have certainly been keeping the tempo up for financial growth in the industry. GameDaily notes UBS analyst Ben Schachter's report, showing "music-themed games" have made up 15% of software sales year-to-date and 32% year-over-year growth so far.

The Guitar Hero franchise is already up 82% this year, with Guitar Hero: On Tour taking in $15 million in July alone. Meanwhile, Rock Band, across all platforms, took in $47 million in July ... and that doesn't even count any DLC sales. Unless the rhythm game bubble bursts in the next few months, GH: World Tour and Rock Band 2 sales -- along with their respective DLC sales -- could make up a significant portion of another record-breaking year for the industry.