MTV and Activision lock horns over Rock Band compatibility

Publisher MTV Games and developer Harmonix have hit out at the publisher Activision after the Guitar Hero owner blocked moves to release a patch that would enable its guitar peripheral to work with rival product Rock Band.

In a statement issued to Next-Gen, an MTV rep stated: Two weeks ago, Harmonix created a software patch for the PS3 version of Rock Band that allowed for guitar compatibility and support for third party peripherals, including enabling use of Activision’s Guitar Hero III controller with Rock Band.

The compatibility patch was submitted, approved and had been scheduled for release by Sony on Tuesday, December 4. Unfortunately, Activision objected to the release of the compatibility patch. The patch remains with Sony, but we have been told that it will unfortunately not be released due to Activision’s continued objection.

As is the case with the Microsoft Xbox 360, we believe that PS3 users should be able to use the peripheral of their choice with Rock Band. We sincerely hope that Activision will reverse its decision and allow release of the compatibility patch and further, that Activision will allow Guitar Hero III to support Rock Band guitar controllers as well.

We welcome all third party developers who wish to support our controllers and will provide any required support in order for them to do so. We believe that when consumers have choice, everyone wins. Harmonix and MTV Games hope that Activision and others in the industry will also adopt this philosophy."