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Activision said today that its Guitar Hero franchise has sold $1 billion in North American sales in 26 months, according to the NPD Group.

Since its original release in fall 2005, the Guitar Hero franchise sold 14 million units in North America, according to The NPD Group.  In 10 weeks since the games launch, users have downloaded more than five million songs. Players of Guitar Hero rival Rock Band have downloaded more than 2.5 million songs since its launch in November 2007.

"Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today," said Michael Griffith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Activision Publishing, Inc.

"Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium."

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision is a global developer. Publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment. Activision posted net revenues of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007.

The company has operations in The U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.