Guitar Hero: Metallica due by Q1 '09

Latest SEC filing by Activision confirms Bay Area metal quartet will be subject of next band-centric rhythm game; new James Bond game gets final title.

Earlier this year, Activision unveiled Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, the first installment in its billion-dollar rhythm series based entirely on a band. No sooner had the publisher announced the deal than speculation began to spread about what the second band-based Guitar Hero game would be. Along with Van Halen, the most mentioned group was Metallica, the legendary San Francisco Bay Area heavy-metal quartet.

Time to ride the royalty lightning!

Now, talk of Guitar Hero: Metallica is no longer a case of wishful thinking or idle speculation--it's fact. When sifting through an SEC filing of Activision's over the weekend, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Edward Woo--associate of the highly visible Michael Pachter--uncovered a gem in the section where the Santa Monica, California-based publisher discussed its upcoming game slate.

"In fiscal 2009, we plan to publish Guitar Hero: On Tour for the NDS; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero IV across multiple platforms," the company said in its report. Activision's fiscal year ends on March 31, 2009, which means that the game will likely follow the holiday release of Guitar Hero: World Tour (nee Guitar Hero 4).

Guitar Hero: Metallica will be the first time a game based on the multiplatinum-selling band--which has become only slightly less famous for its antipiracy efforts as its musical achievements--has made it to retail. However, it is the second such game to be announced. In 2003, Vivendi Games--which will soon merge with Activision--struck a deal to create a vehicular combat game inspired by Metallica's music. Unconfirmed reports stated that the project had been quietly canceled in 2005.

In other news, Activision's SEC filing also confirmed that the next James Bond game, which will be developed by Treyarch using the Call of Duty 4 engine, will indeed be titled Quantum of Solace like the next James Bond film.

679 Comments

  • MetaKnight39

    Posted Apr 3, 2009 11:07 pm PT

    This is a good game,especially the new mode expert plus

  • wizzy13

    Posted Mar 8, 2009 6:39 pm PT

    ..........O....M.....G.....THIS WILL BE THE BEST GUITAR HERO GAME EVER!!!!!!! WE ALL WILL RIDE THE LIGHTNING THIS YEAR!!!!!

  • btbessaay

    Posted Feb 21, 2009 9:26 am PT

    all I can say is... HOLY CRAP!!! I am pre-ordering this sucker, no question about it. GET IT FROM GAMESTOP PRE-ORDER GET A FREE SECOND BASS PEDAL AND SPLITTER. the expert+ mode is going to be blistering, and do i even have to say it? KIRK HAMMET'S GUITAR PLAYING

  • metallicajames

    Posted Jan 15, 2009 5:39 pm PT

    This will be insane, with an expert + level and the setlist thats out so far rocks!

  • JTSwii

    Posted Jan 10, 2009 7:56 pm PT

    I read the article in GameInformer... Trust me, this will be one SICK game.

  • fuegochiquito

    Posted Dec 28, 2008 1:53 pm PT

    I just hope we have the best metallica songs ever and no a guitar hero metallica name just to take our money... please activision don't do that

  • fuegochiquito

    Posted Dec 28, 2008 1:49 pm PT

    RIDE OF THE LIGHTING TT

  • -Roflcopter2-

    Posted Dec 24, 2008 4:42 am PT

    Megadeth will probably go to rockband

  • magic8ball88

    Posted Dec 8, 2008 5:22 pm PT

    i wonder if theyll have megadeth in it considering theyre rivals peace sells would be awesome

  • Grateful_Gamer

    Posted Nov 11, 2008 8:49 pm PT

    MASTER! MASTER!

  • Boat95

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 2:53 pm PT

    FINALLY!!! This game is going to OWN!!! It will also be a good challenge. Aerosmith was pretty good in my opinion but Metallica will be great. They are my favorite metal band.

  • doctorwang12

    Posted Oct 26, 2008 6:00 pm PT

    THANK YOU LORD! they made a smart choice by picking the best metal band out there...this game will be AWESOME!!!...(and VERY hard!)

  • killersRquiet posted Oct 26, 2008 4:14 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    killersRquiet

    Posted Oct 26, 2008 4:14 pm PT (hide)

    this game is going to suck.

  • Thortheus

    Posted Oct 23, 2008 7:43 pm PT

    I hope that the difficulty of Metallica's songs are pushed to their full extent, and not just watered down to appeal to a more casual audience. That's what medium difficulty is for...

  • nednil007

    Posted Oct 19, 2008 8:05 am PT

    God I hope its true!Navebucket dude,Megadeth is awesome but only like 3 of their songs are good Guitar hero songs.

  • Nanien15

    Posted Oct 3, 2008 6:24 am PT

    punkband12

    Death Magnetic is available for download tho :/

  • navebucketdude posted Sep 24, 2008 4:37 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    navebucketdude

    Posted Sep 24, 2008 4:37 pm PT (hide)

    i hope they put some megadeth songs in this game

  • senorbusyman

    Posted Sep 21, 2008 7:31 pm PT

    Finally! my favorite band ever METALLICA gets there own game, "SWEET" they should add music videos on da guitar store of da game so we can watch them if we dont want to play to da song util later.

  • senorbusyman

    Posted Sep 21, 2008 7:31 pm PT

    Finally! my favorite band ever METALLICA gets there own game, "SWEET" they should add music videos on da guitar store of da game so we can watch them if we dont want to play to da song util later.

  • punkband12

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 7:16 am PT

    if the death magnetic album is on it, ill even pre-order it!

  • punkband12

    Posted Sep 17, 2008 7:11 am PT

    WHAT?! METALLICA?!?
    MUST HAVE! F'ING MUST HAVE!

  • sonnycorleone94

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 6:54 pm PT

    They cant have a GH:Nirvana. First off there career wasn't that long. And added to that they would need to add a feature to turn the guitar into a shotgun for the final cutscene.

  • sonnycorleone94

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 6:54 pm PT

    They cant have a GH:Nirvana. First off there career wasn't that long. And added to that they would need to add a feature to turn the guitar into a shotgun for the final cutscene.

  • Pergynt

    Posted Sep 13, 2008 4:35 am PT

    yes finnaly a good band makes guitar hero! aerosmith was pure fail. now this is gonna be awesome!

  • tysse23

    Posted Aug 31, 2008 9:13 am PT

    YES!!! METALLICA *headbangs*

  • maddom67

    Posted Aug 31, 2008 8:30 am PT

    would u have van halen and ac/dc

  • KGrimm03

    Posted Aug 27, 2008 11:16 am PT

    yes i agree 100% with you guys below me....i wish i could make my own guitar hero i would have metallica...stone temple pilots....nirvana...the list gos on and on.

  • ACME_IVIURSEY

    Posted Aug 26, 2008 4:54 pm PT

    Thank you. Yeah you guys should listen to the guy below me. He agrees with me.

  • RabidShark001

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 5:48 pm PT

    People need to start realizing theres like like a billion different rock genres. I agree with Acme Iviursey too they start as thrash with albums like rided the lightning now there more Alternative Metal.

  • Justinge3

    Posted Aug 24, 2008 7:47 pm PT

    I hope that there will be a lot of songs in this!

  • ACME_IVIURSEY

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 2:52 pm PT

    How can you possibly get sick of Metallica? You would have to be like a communist or something to get sick of Metallica.

  • benybob

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:28 pm PT

    this will be sweet, expecially with the drums guitars and singing. it will be super hard though, but i don't think it should be all metallica, there should be some other bands that are simmilar in there as well. sometimes you'll get sick of playing metallica through out the whole game. But it will still be a wicked awsome game.

  • KoRn4all

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 12:26 pm PT

    Metallica rules

  • soad-forever

    Posted Aug 17, 2008 8:04 am PT

    Wow. This is great, I was just thinking about this the other day, and to see that it is really coming out is awesome, but I've read the comments some people have left and I'd like to address comments left by some people:
    1. Gamelunatic92: Unless you want a guitar hero in which, practicaly the whole guitar arrangement is just power chords and really basic guitar riffs which would bore a lot of people, be they guitarist and not, a Guitar Hero: Linkin Park would not be good at all, Don't get me wrong, when I was a kid, I loved them, but it would be really boring, I dont wish to offend with this comment, being a fan of linkin park myself (Their older stuff, of course).

    2.bunny686: Metallica are originally a Thrash Metal, being a guitarist and die-hard fan, I know that more than anything.

    3.abcdark3: Guitar Hero: Dragonforce would be hilariously intense, but their songs are pretty similar with the notable exceptions of their softer songs (Starfire, etc...), so it would get boring, if not impossible for some people.

    4.TheGodPhoenix: Bands like Aerosmith and Metallica have cemented themselves in history because of their music and influence on young guitarists everywhere (me being one of them), but don't worry, bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine will probably be a likely candidate for "Guitar Hero: Emo", which will be released with a razor blade strum bar, for all the slicing action moronic emos could ever dream of and a sharpened disc edge for emos who eventually give up playing and commit suicide with the edge of the disc.

  • KoGfullmetal980

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 5:03 pm PT

    I wonder who you'll be battling against for the guitar battle? James or Kirk....or maybe both?!

  • jamminmurken

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 10:25 am PT

    the best selling guitar hero - single band - game would be guitar hero: Tool.

  • ACME_IVIURSEY

    Posted Aug 10, 2008 7:14 pm PT

    I like Linkin Park but think Metallica has a lot more fans than Linkin Park and Metallica has enough songs to fill the setlist Linkin Park Just doesn't cut it.

  • Gamelunatic92 posted Aug 8, 2008 2:29 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Gamelunatic92

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 2:29 pm PT (hide)

    **** no guys......haha the best game would be...
    GUITAR HERO: LINKIN PARK!!!!!
    seriously, that would rock the charts right there :]

  • maddk

    Posted Aug 7, 2008 3:22 pm PT

    IMO GH:Metallica will crush the sales of Aerosmith... Metallica didnt sell over 100million albuns without a reason, Metallica is and will always be one of, if not, the best metal band ever.

  • ACME_IVIURSEY

    Posted Aug 7, 2008 9:18 am PT

    If they have ...And Justice For All, Master Of Puppets, To Live Is To Die, The Call Of Ktulu, The Four Horsemen, and any other song 7 minutes or more than my goal is to play each one of them at the highest difficulty I can do without failing all in a row and see how much my hands ache of metal!!!!

  • MaddMan3

    Posted Aug 6, 2008 10:23 am PT

    This looks awesome. Metallica isn't my favorite band but i think they will easily make the best "band-exclusive" guitar hero game besides Led Zeppelin but that is highly unlikely to ever happen. Metallica has such a large library of music that it won't be a struggle to get a group of good songs. Fade to Black, Master of Puppets nuff' said.

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 5:41 pm PT

    Metallica is nice. You guys don't understand that there are legal reason why there can't be a Guitar Hero: Van Halen or a Guitar Hero:" AC/DC...

  • dyns510

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 10:10 am PT

    Where's GH Pink Floyd? For the Wii they could make a bong attachment.

  • godofwarfan3000

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 8:35 am PT

    dont put st.angeir activision

  • SkellitonKiller posted Jul 27, 2008 1:46 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    SkellitonKiller

    Posted Jul 27, 2008 1:46 pm PT (hide)

    I would have peffered a Guitar Hero: Van Halen or Guitar Hero: AC/DC those would have been better.

  • Slipstream720

    Posted Jul 26, 2008 4:42 pm PT

    Metallica FTW!

    '09 Games for me:
    Guitar Hero World Tour and Metallica
    Quantum of Solace

  • Krayler

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 8:41 pm PT

    Oh hell yeah this'll be a first '09 game for me!

  • monkeymano

    Posted Jul 19, 2008 8:00 pm PT

    This is going to sell, seeing that they were the top selling band of the 90's and continue to sell.

    I for one, will be getting this.

  • Jbaty660

    Posted Jul 17, 2008 1:07 pm PT

    Metallica is good but it's just goona be like aerosmith only fans of them are going to buy it

  • ACME_IVIURSEY

    Posted Jul 17, 2008 10:53 am PT

    Knoxs is pretty much retarded in the review they even tell you Metallica's heavy metal hince "legendary San Francisco Bay Are HEAVY-METAL quartet" yes metallica is thrash metal but it's also heavy metal again just like black sabbath is doom metal Metallica is thrash metal just another branch of heavy metal also bunny whatever the hell your name is you are also one hell of an idiot because why would a METAL band with METAL in the name play hard rock seether is hard rock linkin park is hard rock Metallica is not hard rock they are metal mudvayne is metal pantera is metal now have you ever listened to a metallica song because any one who has half a brain knows thats metal and listen to the similarities between pantera and metallica everyone knows pantera is metal and they even said themselves that they were inspired by Metallica's thrashy sound

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