Metallica: Games and music to merge

Heavy metal band Metallica have predicted that the video games industry and the music business are likely to merge in the future.

The group have collaborated with developer Neversoft on Guitar Hero: Metallica, which is due for release in 2009.

Speaking to USA Today, band member Kirk Hammett said: "I have a sneaking suspicion that the video game industry and the record industry are going to eventually just merge into one big thing.

"That's cool in that it gives you a different sort of dynamic, a virtual aspect of the delivery of music rather than it just being one-dimensional.

"It's enabling the artists to present the music in a very new and different and modern way."

Bandmate Lars Ulrich described the collaboration between music and video games as "the new frontier", adding that it is a way to "get kids passionate and involved in music".