Tokyo - Japanese video game developer and publisher Konami has filed suit against Viacom-owned (NYSE: VIA) "Rock Band" game developer Harmonix, alleging the popular music game infringes on several of Konami's patents, Bloomberg reported.

I'm the first to admit that the whole Guitar Hero thing took me off guard. Play music on a plastic toy guitar - come on! But then I went to Guitar Hero night at my local waterhole, Hyperion Tavern, in trendy Silver Lake (Thursdays for those of you that care, see picture to the right). It was so much fun that I was converted on the spot. Now in its third incarnation, Activision's (NASD: ATVI) "Guitar Hero" game franchise is still the most popular entry in the music-based gaming genre that includes the newer hit "Rock Band" by Harmonix. Not only has the games sold millions of copies and is now available on other platforms such as mobile phones, the games have also become an invaluable marketing tools for bands (rock band Motley Crue was the first group to release a new single, "Saints of Los Angeles," for sale through the video game "Rock Band.") as well as increased interest in real guitar playing. And the trend of interactive music games that Guitar Hero started is just in its infancy.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and Harmonix studio on Tuesday announced that it will add a dozen songs from The Who to the tracks available for download for its "Rock Band" game via the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store. The tracks -- which include three from The Who's "Live at Leeds" album, the first live tracks to be featured in the game -- will sell for $1.99 each or $19.99 for the entire collection when they are released on July 15.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and Harmonix studio said on Monday that "Rock Band 2," the sequel to their 15 million unit-selling music game with vocal, guitar and drum accessories, will be released to retailers in September. The game will initially be exclusive to the Xbox 360, but then launch on other platforms before the end of the year.

New York - Representatives of the Beatles are in talks with Activision (NASD: ATVI) and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games, makers of the "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" video games, respectively, on deals that would license Beatles songs for inclusion in future iterations of the games, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The deals are reported to be worth "several million dollars," sources told FT, and could be completed within weeks.

New York - Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA) today reported that its quarterly net profit rose 33 percent, beating Wall Street forecasts, on strong sales of the "Rock Band" video game and higher advertising revenue at its cable networks, including MTV Networks. The company said that revenue for the period rose 15%, to $3.12 billion, from $2.72 billion in the first quarter of 2007.

New York - Video game publisher Activision (NASD: ATVI) has affirmed plans to extend its wildly popular "Guitar Hero" franchise beyond the guitar and bass to other instruments, a la rival music-based game "Rock Band," Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in an interview with Portfolio.com. "We'll include a lot of other instruments [and] vocals," said Kotick, while refraining from giving any clues as to when these new elements might appear in the game franchise.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks said this week that it will begin offering owners of its "Rock Band" video game to download full albums compatible with the game beginning next week, to include records from Judas Priest, the Cars and the Pixies.

Los Angeles - Rock band Motley Crue said on Tuesday that it is the first group to release a new single, "Saints of Los Angeles," for sale through the video game "Rock Band." The song will be made available for purchase as an add-on to the game for 99 cents through both Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace and Sony's PlayStation Store.

Cambridge, Mass. - Video game developer Harmonix, a unit of Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks, announced on Tuesday that its version of "Rock Band" for the Nintendo Wii will ship to retailers on June 22. Published by Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS), the $169 bundle will include guitar, microphone and drums accessories for the Wii.

Nashville, Tenn. - Guitar manufacturer Gibson has filed a second patent infringement lawsuit over guitar-replica controllers used in the video games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," this time suing "Rock Band" makers Harmonix, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks and Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS). Gibson also last week filed suit against a number of retailers, including Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), for selling Activision's (NASD: ATVI) "Guitar Hero" in violation of its 1999 patent.

Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix, the video game studio unit of Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks that created the "Rock Band" music game, announced on Thursday that more than 6 million song downloads have been purchased for the game since its launch just over three months ago. Over 70 songs are currently available for purchase and download for the game, priced at $0.99 to $2.99 per track, with the vast majority selling for $1.99. "The success of Rock Band downloadable content to date firmly reinforces our vision and its potential as a platform for music discovery," said Paul DeGooyer, SVP DVD, Gaming and Audio, MTV.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix Music Systems, a unit of MTV Games, announced on Friday that gamers have purchased more than 2.5 million downloadable song packs for the music-based game since its launch on Nov. 20. The top-selling song pack features three songs from Metallica, followed by packs from The Police, Queens of the Stone Age and David Bowie. Pricing is $0.99 to $2.99 per track, with the majority sold for $1.99. "The incredible response to the downloadable content we've released to date motivates us even more to establish this platform as a way for people to discover new, up and coming artists through the game -- in addition to delivering great game play experiences set to the music of mega-artists," said MTVN Music Group/Logo/Films president Van Toffler.

San Diego - Mad Catz Interactive, a maker of video game accessories, said on Friday that it has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks, to create and distribute accessories for MTV-owned Harmonix Music Systems' "Rock Band" video game in North America and other territories. The music-based game features wired and wireless guitars, a drum percussion set and microphone accessories.

Cambridge, Mass. - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and Harmonix game studio, and distribution partner Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) on Tuesday announced the release of their "Rock Band" game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the U.S. The $170 game includes guitar, microphone and drum accessories and allows gamers to play along with popular songs, similar to Activision's "Guitar Hero." In addition to the 58 tracks included with "Rock Band," the companies plan to sell downloadable tracks that can be added to the game.

New York - Harmonix, the music-based game studio unit of Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks, on Thursday announced the lineup of weekly song downloads it will offer through the end of the year for its forthcoming "Rock Band" game. Gamers will be able to purchase 3-song packs for $5.49 from artists including Metallica, the Police, David Bowie and Black Sabbath, or individual tracks for $1.99 each from a wider selection of artists. "Rock Band," which features drum, guitar and microphone peripherals, is slated for release on Nov. 20 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Cambridge, Mass. - MTV Games' Harmonix video game studio has announced the list of tracks that will be included in its "Rock Band" music-themed video game, which will include guitar, drum and voice accessories and sell for $170 when released on Nov. 20. The 58-song tracklist, which spans the 60s through today, will be augmented with additional tracks made available for download over time.

Santa Monica, Calif. - Harmonix, the game developer unit of MTV Networks, announced this week that The Who's album "Who's Next" will be the first full-length album available as a digitally-distributed game level for its "Rock Band" interactive music game. The company also announced that it hired actor and producer Steven Van Zandt to head a music advisory board for the game, which will also feature tracks from The Ramones, Black Sabbath, Rush, Nirvana, Metallica and The Strokes. "Rock Band" is slated for release in the fall for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Cambridge, Mass. - Video game developer Harmonix, creator of the "Guitar Hero" franchise and a unit of MTV Networks, on Tuesday announced that Fender Musical Instruments, the electric guitar and amplifier maker, will have its instruments exclusively featured in the upcoming Harmonix title, "Rock Band." In addition, Roland Corp. and BOSS have entered into agreements to have their brands featured within "Rock Band." The game is slated for release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 system in the fall.

Cambridge, Mass. - Video game developer Harmonix, creators of the "Guitar Hero" franchise and a recent acquisition of MTV Networks, announced on Monday that it has partnered with publisher Electronic Arts on a new music-based title that will allow gamers to form virtual bands and perform chart-topping songs. Slated for release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the fall, "Rock Band" will feature virtual drum, bass/lead guitar and microphone peripherals, and songs licensed from publishers EMI and Warner/Chappell, and labels EMI, Hollywood Records, Sony BMG, Universal Music Enterprises and Warner's Rhino Entertainment.