Guitar Hero: Guns N' Roses promised to Axl Rose - Report

Axl Rose's 2010 $20 million lawsuit against Activision concerning rights issues stemming from 2007's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has taken a new twist. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the reason Rose waited until 2010 to sue Activision over Guitar Hero III was because the publisher promised him a dedicated game as a means to settle and resolve the issues he had.

Rose claims Activision made this offer--as well as "other proposals" he says were worth "millions of dollars"--between December 2007 and November 2010. The project was to feature songs from Guns N' Roses' long-in-the-making Chinese Democracy album, which was released in 2008 to very mixed reviews.

The news came during proceedings in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday as part of Rose's ongoing suit against the publisher. A judge tossed out Rose's fraud claim, but will allow his breach-of-contract claim to see trial. A trial is scheduled to begin on February 1, 2013.

Rose sued Activision in 2010 for its use of the virtual likeness of Saul Hudson (better known as the top-hat-donning axe legend Slash) in Guitar Hero III. Rose further alleges that Activision convinced him to lend "Welcome to the Jungle" to Guitar Hero III on the grounds that the game would not feature Slash's likeness or the guitarist's follow-up group, Velvet Revolver.

Slash was featured heavily in Guitar Hero III. He graced the game's cover and was a playable character in the game. Further, songs from Velvet Revolver ("She Builds Quick Machines," "Slither," and "Messages") were made available to gamers as downloadable content following the game's release.

Activision is also currently facing a suit from the Gwen Stefani-fronted rock band No Doubt. In that 2009 suit, the band claimed Activision had no contractual right to allow the group's in-game avatars to be used to perform other artists' songs. Additionally, the suit alleges Activision secretly hired actors to create dance movements that no band member had ever performed. No Doubt vs. Activision will go before a jury in Los Angeles Superior Court beginning October 15.