While it’s not quite a firm release date, mega-publisher Activision confirmed a Q2 2012 window for the highly anticipated Diablo III in their most recent earnings call. This narrows the release date down to sometime between April and June of this year.

The game has already undergone changes, including some based on player feedback from the latest beta, but knowing Blizzard’s track record, it’s probably the safe bet the game’s going to be a hit. Diablo III takes place twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Though some familiar faces like Deckard Cain will make an appearance, the game features an all new set of heroes.

[Source: CVG]

Today word got out that Activision will be launching a new subscription based service called Call of Duty Elite in conjunction with the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this fall. Activision is still trying to determine the right subscription pricing for the service which is said to “provide extra content that isn’t offered on game discs sold in stores, including downloadable map packs.”

Aside from extra content, Elite will also provide gamers with stat tracking tools that analyze their performance and tendencies in game, in hopes of directing the player to guides and tutorials on how to improve. “These can cover things like the best way to employ a certain weapon, pros and cons for their attachments, or how to make the best use of different perks. Video tutorials will also be part of the package.” Read more… »

About a month ago, I reported that Activision had killed off its Guitar Hero franchise “due to continued declines in the music genre.” Apparently Ubisoft has something to say about that. Today, the developer announced that it is currently working on a guitar based rhythm game call Rocksmith. Now before you call Rocksmith a Guitar Hero clone, please note that there are some major differences. Most importantly, you play Rocksmith with a real guitar, not some plastic toy.

Apparently Ubisoft has come up with some sort of converter that allows you to plug in your guitar cord into a USB drive. Now I know some of you are saying, “What about Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring? That game let you play with a real guitar!” Please note that with Power Gig, you had to play using their plastic “guitar.” Sure it had strings and plugged into your console of choice, but it still wasn’t a real guitar. Also the fact that the gameplay was just trash didn’t help Power Gig‘s reputation. Read more… »

In light of Activision killing off the Guitar Hero franchise, John Riccitiello said some interesting things when he spoke at this year’s Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference.

The EA CEO mentioned that “If you go back seven years, we were the leader. And we dropped the ball. Our IP deteriorated, our costs went up, and we didn’t really have an answer for the rise of digital. Need For Speed ended up flat on its back. That annual sequel thing got to us. That was a very tough business run. We just didn’t have the portfolio.”

Now if only EA could lighten up on the yearly sports releases, and give us more awesome stuff like Dead Space 2, Dante’s Inferno and the Medal of Honor reboot I’d be a really happy camper.

[Via GoNintendo]

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Last week, we reported that Activision is killing off the Guitar Hero franchise “due to continued declines in the music genre.” While we’re certain that the folks over at EA and Harmonix are quietly celebrating, not everyone is so happy to see the music behemoth go the way of the dinosaurs.

RedOctane was the publisher that teamed up with Harmonix back in 2005 to make Guitar Hero I and II. They were subsequently acquired by Activision in 2006, and dissolved last year. Their former CEO, Kelly Sumner, doesn’t have the nicest things to say about Activision’s management of the franchise.

His words await you after the break.

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Yesterday Activision announced some news that has some pretty major effects on the gaming industry. First off, the publisher has canceled the open-world action title True Crime: Hong Kong.

While this may be upsetting to some gamers, the real heavy hitting news is that Activision has eliminated its Guitar Hero and DJ Hero franchises “due to continued declines in the music genre.” Both teams working on the GH and DJH franchises have been hit with “severe layoffs.” Read more… »

All you Call of Duty junkies out there better cancel your weekend plans – it’s double XP weekend! Everything you do, from something as simple as killing another player for +50, to shooting down an enemy spy plane for +150, counts double. After all the dust clears, I predict an awful lot of 15th Prestige players out there by the time the sun comes up Monday morning.  The double period starts at 1PM EST today, and ends sometime Monday morning (my guess would be around 5AM EST).

Personally, I don’t have a real big problem with double XP weekends, but I can see why some people don’t like it. There are a lot of people out there who have spent tons of time in Black Ops honing their skills the last few months, and achieving 15th Prestige in a short amount of time, only to be matched by people who happen to log on this weekend. Either way, make sure you at least try some Demolition, because anytime you plant a bomb, it’ll earn you a sweet +1200. Read more… »

When I asked Mark Lamia of Treyarch at E3 whether we’d be seeing zombies in the studio’s highly-anticipated next chapter in the Call of Duty series, he gave me the same answer that Activision and Treyarch have given everyone: “No comment.”

I distinctly remember Mark having a smirk on his face when he said it, however. It’s being reported that a Best Buy listing for the Hardened Edition of Black Ops read that it will feature “Four Zombie Maps Pack made famous from COD: World at War.” This information has since been pulled from the Best Buy site.

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Now I’m all for special editions, but this is getting a little ridiculous. Today Activision revealed two tiers of special editions for Treyarch’s upcoming shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops.

First off, there is the “Hardened” edition. This box includes “a custom Black Ops limited edition medal, exclusive Black Ops Avatar outfit, as well as four playable cooperative maps.” Not too shabby, if I do say so myself, but wait for it. Things get pretty crazy with the “Prestige” edition. Read more… »

Following in the footsteps of the previous Call of Duty titles, today Activision revealed that a “companion” title for Call of Duty: Black Ops will be released on the Nintendo DS. The newly revealed shooter will be hitting stores along side the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 releases on November 9, 2010.

Developed by n-Space (the guys behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized), Call of Duty: Black Ops promises to put gamers in various combat situation ranging from “taking the controls of an attack helicopter to flying an experimental stealth fighter jet.” Read more… »

Whether it is Bobby Kotick wanting to raise game prices even further, trying to take the fun out of making videogames or even driving away one of the most popular studios in the industry, one thing is for certain: Activision has been a PR nightmare lately. While Activision is attempting to improve its public image, Electronic Arts seems to be taking advantage of Activision’s growing unpopularity amongst gamers. During a recent interview, EA Chief Operating Officer John Shappert took the opportunity to make backhanded comments towards Activision when asked about the rival company.

When asked about Activision, Shappert noted that “… stories of late [regarding Activision] haven’t been very positive. And we couldn’t be happier to have Jason [West] and Vince [Zampella] as part of our EA Partners program, or Ted Price of Insomniac”. In addition to rubbing salt in Activision’s wound regarding the loss of  Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward, the interview allowed Shappert to differentiate his company from the likes of Activision.

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Today Activision sent word that a new James Bond title will be arriving on the Ps3, Xbox 360 and PC this holiday season. Dubbed James Bond 007: Blood Stone, the third-person shooter is currently being developed by Bizarre Creations (best known for Blur and The Club).

It seems like Activision has really pulled out all the stop for this game. Apparently, Blood Stone will feature an original story by Bruce Feirstein (the guy behind GoldenEye), as well as voice acting from Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, and singer Joss Stone. Word also has it that Ms. Stone will be providing the soundtrack with a little help from Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics). Read more… »