Activision marches on to the tune of the songs from Guitar Hero and is pulling all the strings to make sure that its title gets more exposure, more interest and, ultimately, more sales than rival Rock Band from Harmonix. Eve as Rock Band is announced as being ported for the Japanese market, Activision is quietly confirming that the band themed Guitar Hero line of games that started with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is not abandoned. The new title is called Guitar Hero: Metallica and we'll see it before March 31, 2009.

Even if Activision did not directly confirm that the title is in development, a bunch of documents exist related to the title. The discovery was made by an analyst from Wedbush Morgan Securities as he was looking over the pile of documents that Activision had forwarded to the Securities and Exchange Commission. One report from the company reads, "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".

All of these titles, apart from the Metallica powered game, have already been announced and their release dates are known. Guitar Hero: World Tour, originally known as Guitar Hero 4, will make its debut prior to the 2008 holiday season, when games tend to grow exponentially. World Tour will add new instruments, including a drum kit, while also allowing the players to create and upload their own music tracks.

Because the holiday top spot is occupied with the new game in the franchise, it's likely that Guitar Hero: Metallica will arrive in the beginning of 2009, probably sometime in late February or in early March.

Without official information coming from Activision regarding this title, the main question now is whether the game will make use of the new structure from Guitar Hero: World Tour, with a greater array of instruments, or it will only let the player rock out on guitar, like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.