Neversoft

Neversoft, also Neversoft Entertainment is a video game developer based out of Woodland Hills, California. Some of the company's more notable games are Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Tony Hawk's Project 8, and Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. The company has achieved massive success with 2007's launch of Guitar Hero III, one of the best-selling video games of 2007, boasting particularly strong sales during the holiday season. In 2009, Neversoft released Band Hero. As of March 2009, Neversoft has released 19 different video game titles, mostly in partner with Activision. Different companies they compete with include Vicarious Visions, Harmonix, and Budcat Creations.

In early February 2010, the Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick publicly stated that he wished he had contracted with Harmonix, the makers of the original Guitar Hero, instead of with Neversoft. He said that he had always associated Harmonix as "sort of a somewhat failed developer of music games," not the power-house company they are today.http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/02/19/activision-ceo-regrets-not-buying-harmonix/

Just a few days prior to the controversy, Activision laid off many staff members at Neversoft and Radical Entertainment, and completely shut down Luxoflux. The reason for the lay-off was due to the decrease in music-based games expected to be released in coming years.http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/news/21490/

Shortly after their layoff announcement, Neversoft released details of a new DLC expansion pack. The new pack is said to include music from Blink 182, OK Go, Motley Crue and Flogging Molly for release in March of 2010.http://www.examiner.com/x-25487-Music-Video-Games-Examiner~y2010m2d25-Neversoft-announces-Blink182-and-Flogging-Molly-DLC-coming-in-March