Guitar Hero’s creator, Activision, announced its plan to release sometime next year a version of the game based on one of the most popular and legendary rock groups ever – Metallica.

The new Metallica game version is part of the company’s campaign, which will include the release of Guitar Hero: On Tour, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero 4 for several platforms.

Just like the Aerosmith release, the new variant will feature Metallica’s full career from the early days to today’s global success and will present a play list with some of their most popular songs taken from their three decade-long career.

The release of the Guitar Hero series managed to put Activision’s shares on the map with a significant increase over the last 12 months, rising from $16.95 to $34.00. The company plans to use its Guitar Hero 4 game to win back some of the users who preferred the rival game Rock Band and also attract a new public, both games now offering more than just a guitar.

In order to get a glimpse of what to expect from the Metallica game, rock fans can turn to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith which will be released on June 29 and will feature a large number of their songs and also tunes from other artists that the band’s members are fond of.

Considering that Activision didn’t make their official announcement yet, Metallica’s Web site leaves fans anticipating, stating only this: "An all Metallica Guitar Hero game . . . fact or fiction? Idle internet gossip, wishful thinking, or the real deal? Let's just say that perhaps, just maybe, if you've already mastered "One" on GHIII there might be a pile of 'Tallica songs in your future. More details later this summer . . ."