Activision buys 'Guitar Hero' maker

LOS ANGELES--Activision kicked off E3 by announcing Tuesday that it is buying Red Octane, maker of the huge hit "Guitar Hero."

The game, which tasks players with playing a toy guitar and keeping up with a rapid parade of notes--a la "Karaoke Revolution"--was a big surprise for Red Octane on the PlayStation 2 in 2005.

Now, as it prepares to release "Guitar Hero 2," Red Octane will have the substantial resources of the second-largest video game publisher in the world.