For Microsoft Xbox 360 owners of the video game Rock Band, adding another guitar is a simple matter of tracking down a compatible Guitar Hero II Gibson Xplorer or Guitar Hero III Gibson Les Paul controller. For owners of the PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band, however, the solution to rounding out a four-piece band is far from simple.

The PS3 version of the Guitar Hero III Gibson Les Paul controller does not work correctly with Rock Band for PS3. Given that separate Rock Band Fender Stratocaster guitars are not available for purchase yet, Rock Band PS3 players are understandably frustrated at being unable to form a full band.

Rock Band developer Harmonix promised after the release of its game that it was working on a patch to introduce compatibility with Activision’s Gibson Les Paul peripheral, but now it seems that such a fix is stuck in purgatory.

According to a post by a member of the Harmonix team, the developer submitted a patch to Sony, which was approved for release on December 4, only later to be blocked from release by Activision.

“Unfortunately, Activision objected to the compatibility patch's release,” detailed the forum post. “The patch remains with Sony, but we have been told that it will unfortunately not be released due to Activision's continued objection.

“We sincerely hope that Activision will reverse its decision and allow release of the compatibility patch and further, that Activision will allow Guitar Hero III to support Rock Band guitar controllers as well. We welcome all third party developers who wish to support our controllers and will provide any required support in order for them to do so.”

Strangely, the Gibson Les Paul controller for the Xbox 360 works flawlessly with Rock Band, to which Activision has taken no action against.

Activision later addressed the media with more details on the situation between the two dueling music games. Activision confirmed that it was blocking the release of such a patch, but with a very specific reason – lack of an agreement.

“In fact, Harmonix and its parent company MTV Games/Viacom recently declined Activision's offer to reach an agreement that would allow the use of Guitar Hero guitar controllers with Rock Band. We have been and remain open to discussions with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom about the use of our technology in Rock Band,” read the Activision statement. “Unfortunately for Rock Band users, in this case Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom are unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision.”

Although Activision did not specify what sort of agreement it was seeking, it’s speculated that such an agreement would include some form of financial compensation or licensing fees for using its peripherals.

Like a distant parent, Sony is taking a hands-off approach to the tiff between the two parties. “This is a matter that needs to be resolved between Harmonix/MTV and Activision regarding Intellectual Property,” said an SCEA spokesperson to 1UP. “At SCEA, we of course want this resolved and to ensure the best possible gaming experience. We encourage MTV, Harmonix and Activision to discuss this among themselves so there can be an amicable resolution in the best interest of the consumer.”