Band Hero Launch Marred by Another Avatar Law Suit

Activision just can’t seem to get a break this year.  Guitar Hero 5 was not the first game to feature in-game renderings of the artists themselves.  However it did break new ground by allowing you to recruit those artists to be in your own band, and even forcing them to play other people’s music.  This minor detail has ballooned into a mushroom cloud of controversy as the artists are now taking great exception to their images’ handling in the game.

The latest band to voice their displeasure with Activision’s treatment is No Doubt, who were featured artists in their new game Band Hero.  As with Guitar Hero 5, you can recruit the members of the band into your own, and watch as Gwen Stefani sings the entire Band Hero catalogue, including those of her male contemporaries.   The lawsuit declares that this fact was never discussed, and submits that while they did agree to a virtual performance of their own music, they would never agree to playing other music or the ability to ‘break up’ the band.  From their perspective, Activision has exceeded their mandate for displaying the band with their own music.

Activision originally responded to their complaint by stating that a fix would be too expensive – I wonder if it will be cheaper than settling a defamation or breach of contract lawsuit, and then being forced to pay to fix it anyways.  Why then, Activision, can you not do this with other acts in the game?  Why are some bands locked into their own performance, and others can be made to perform any music you want them to?  This is perhaps the core of the lawsuit, and its entirely possible that the lawyers for both Nirvana and No Doubt overlooked this fact when signing the contracts.

All this leads me to believe that we can expect to see a major lawsuit from Wolfgang Van Halen over being depicted as a cartoony, fat little joke, or “Rock’nRoll Star Wars Kid” as I have decided to call him.    Perhaps Daft Punk will take issue with being made to play a No Doubt & Nirvana mash up in DJ Hero?  Either way this is bad press for Activision, but probably a boon for music games in general, as artists will hopefully take more interest in how they license their music and how their image is represented, and artists taking more interest in our hobby is always a good thing.

Band Hero Gets Boxed, Priced, Dated

Guitar Hero 5 has only been in stores for 9 days. Hell, The Beatles: Rock Band has only been in stores for (at most) nine hours. Now, we get the box art, pricing , and availability of the next in an onslaught of music games. In comes Band Hero, which really is just the next addition to the Guitar Hero series. It is expected to be the exact same game play as Guitar Hero 5, using the same guitar/drum peripherals, including the new Party Play mode, and other updates. The difference will be a more family friendly set list, and friendlier graphics / avatars.

From Amazon:

This November, family and friends will come together to ascend the virtual stage and rock their way to superstardom with Band Hero. Brought to you by the makers of Guitar Hero, one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, Band Hero features the hottest chart-topping hits from everyone’s favorite acts including Taylor Swift, Lily Allen, The All-American Rejects and Jackson 5. Headlined by some of the biggest names in music as in-game artists and playable characters, Band Hero is the ultimate party game where players of all ages will be able to experience the signature, easy-to-learn but difficult-to-master Guitar Hero gameplay. Band Hero allows fans to create the band they always dreamed of using any combination of guitar or drum controllers and vocals, providing rockers and performers of all ages the chance to experience and interact with their favorite music. Music sensation Taylor Swift joins forces with Band Hero for the ultimate family music gaming experience! Taylor Swift, global music sensation and best selling artist of 2008, will ascend an all-new virtual stage this November in Band Hero. Budding music stars, their families and friends, will all live their musical fantasy on the Band Hero stage, playing as Taylor Swift or alongside the singer/songwriter and guitarist, as she performs her smash-hits “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” from her latest album Fearless as well as “Picture to Burn” from her self-titled debut record. “Anything that encourages people to pick up an instrument and play, I’m fully behind. And, I’m really excited about Band Hero, because not only are fans getting to play my songs, but I’m actually in the game,” said Swift. “There are so many awesome things that go into being in Band Hero, like getting to customize my band to look like my touring band, and it’s so cool for people to feel like they are experiencing one of my concerts. This is one of the closest things out there to going to see me perform!”

Band Hero will be available for every console (Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PS2) and Nintendo DS. You can pre-order it now through our amazon links, ranging in price from $39.99 – $59.99.