Press Release Details

Turntable Legend DJ Qbert to Join the Distinguished Crew of Mixologists for DJ Hero® 2

July 22, 2010 at 8:00 AM EDT

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 22, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- When the party starts this October, budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all of their friends will fire up two turntable controllers and a microphone, and spin, scratch and battle with the legendary turntablist DJ Qbert in Activision Publishing Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero(R) 2. A defining member of DJ culture, having been crowned the best in his craft in multiple world championship competitions and revolutionized turntablism, DJ Qbert joins the distinguished rank of playable characters that will appear in-game, including Deadmau5, David Guetta and others, and will deliver two scratch intensive mixes to the best soundtrack in entertainment.

"I'm excited about finally getting to bring the art of turntablism's defining skills, as well as two exclusive mixes, to DJ Hero 2," said DJ Qbert. "It's been a dream of mine as a gamer to battle myself on the turntables and now millions of fans around the world and their friends will get their chance to also."

"As a pioneer of his craft, DJ Qbert's one-of-a-kind scratch and battle skills made him an amazing partner and prefect representative of DJ Hero 2's new multiplayer modes, especially the unique DJ vs. DJ battle mixes," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs, Activision. "We're bringing together the biggest and best DJ's from around the globe, having already announced Deadmau5 and David Guetta as part of our incredibly talented crew, and having DJ Qbert cut up records in his signature style will help us put an indelible stamp on the DJ Hero 2 soundtrack."

The ultimate mixer of music and friends, DJ Hero 2 will deliver the definitive way for players to come together and party with a host of new multiplayer modes - including DJ Battles that pit DJ against DJ in mixes produced specifically for battle gameplay - and invite vocalists into the spotlight with integrated on-screen singing and rapping of lyrics and rhymes while bringing the party to life with jump-in/jump-out Party Play gameplay. Featuring the biggest dance, pop and hip-hop hits by the hottest artists everyone knows and loves remixed by world-class DJ's in an all-new way, the game's soundtrack delivers over 80 unique creations only available in DJ Hero 2. Further immersing players into the music, the game offers a heightened level of creative input and allows everyone to add their own touch, directly impacting the beats they're spinning with freestyle scratching, crossfading and sampling. The game will also feature an all-new career-based Empire Mode where players start out as an up-and-coming DJ on the road to becoming the head of a major entertainment empire, all of which is founded solely on their success as a DJ.

Dropping this fall, DJ Hero 2 will invite a wave of new digital disc jockeys to the turntables as the game will be available as a Party Bundle which will include a copy of the game, two turntable controllers and a microphone, offering the ultimate "party-in-a-box." Gamers who experienced the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009 can pick up DJ Hero 2 as a Turntable Bundle featuring one turntable controller and a copy of the game or as standalone software. The game is in development by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION(R)3 and the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. The game is rated "T" (Teen - Mild Suggestive Themes, Lyrics) by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero 2, please visit www.djhero.com, www.facebook.com/djhero and www.twitter.com/djhero.

About DJ Qbert

Richard Quitevis was born October 7, 1969, in San Francisco, California. Known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Grandmixer Qbert, is a Filipino-American Turntablist and composer. He has invented the most scratching techniques and musical innovations than any DJ in history. Qbert is credited for being the world ambassador of the DJ as a musician and turning the turntable into a respected musical instrument.

Hip-Hop's founders created a set of rules and created a tradition for champions, it was proven during DJ battles, and it was put on wax as the DJ's & MC's paved the path proclaiming their DJ was the best. To prove themselves, DJs would be judged on their scratching cuts.

DJ Qbert delivers on this discipline like no other DJ. Along with dear friend Roc Raida of the X-Ecutioners they are the only two DJs in history that have been Knighted by the Grand Masters of the Hip Hop culture. His peers and the media call him the Greatest DJ in the World, one of the most influential DJs of all time.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing's ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing's products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition including from used games and other forms of entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes in technology, industry standards, business models including online and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers that can create high quality "hit" titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with geographic expansion, and the other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

DJ Hero and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America 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.

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