Rock Band Developer Harmonix Put Up For Sale

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Rock Band Developer Harmonix Put Up For Sale


Harmonix [http://www.viacom.com/] up for sale.

There was a time when Harmonix was money in the bank. It pioneered the music game genre in 2005 with the groundbreaking get back some of the $150 million [http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Hero-Game-Only-Playstation-2/dp/B000GDPHAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289500688&sr=8-1] in bonuses it had paid Harmonix in 2008 "related to 2007 performance."

Now, with third quarter fiscal results [http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Band-3-Xbox-360/dp/B003RS8HG6/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1289500843&sr=1-1] for 2010 that it plans to sell Harmonix and has reclassified the business as a "discontinued operation."

Viacom President and CEO Philippe Dauman said nothing about the apparent decline of the genre in the Q3 earnings call, claiming that the decision to offload Harmonix was strictly a matter of strategic focus. "Our decision to exit this business strategy is to focus on what we do best, and that's creating world class entertainment," he said. "The console games business requires expertise we don't have. For us, this is all about focus."

Harmonix is addressing questions about the situation in a thread on the Rock Band forums [http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?208088-Response-to-Questions-about-Viacom-Selling-Harmonix] and assured gamers that the news is not apocalyptic. "This morning's announcement does not affect the ongoing work at the studio as we continue to support our existing franchises, Rock Band and Dance Central," Harmonix Manager of Communications John Drake wrote. "As stated earlier, Viacom is in discussions with several potential buyers and will continue to fully support the business until a sale is completed."

So who's going to buy Harmonix? The usual suspects have all been mentioned: Activision [http://www.ea.com] itself.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick admitted in February that purchasing Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane, which it Neversoft [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98300-Original-Guitar-Hero-Publisher-Shut-Down] would be able to handle the Guitar Hero franchise as well as anyone. "It would probably be a profitable opportunity for both of us."

Now it appears that Activision may have a second crack at the studio, and it certainly has the resources to make it happen. And while Kotick and company may be the videogame industry's Great Satan of the moment, I don't think it's a bad idea at all. It has the muscle to give the franchise a serious push and, just as important, to maintain and grow the Rock Band DLC library. If nothing else, returning the Guitar Hero franchise to Harmonix would generate no small amount of interest and good will, and Activision has proven with the Blizzard [http://www.blizzard.com] acquisition that it is sometimes willing to just shut up and stay out of the way.

We will, of course, be keeping tabs on the situation and post updates as they happen!

Source: Tempest Fox [http://paidcontent.org/article/419-viacoms-dauman-harmonix-sale-is-about-focus-digital-dollars-not-dimes/] for the tip.


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mjc0961

YOU'RE a pie chart.
Nov 30, 2009
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See, it wasn't just Guitar Hero after all. People are finally getting sick of this fad, or just sick of spending obscene amounts of cash on all the accessories.
 

super_smash_jesus

New member
Dec 11, 2007
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well, there really is no need having so many "different" band emulators. Merging of guitar hero and rock band libraries could benefit everyone that still plays the game, so I hope activision buys harmonix.
 

FinalDream

[Insert Witty Remark Here]
Apr 6, 2010
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The prices they charge for the controllers are outrageous, its no wonder nobody is buying them.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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The Rogue Wolf said:
Y'know, when you go to the same well too many times, eventually you run out of water. And in this metaphor, "well" means "genre", and "water" means "interested customers".
And if we were talking the guys behind the current Guitar Hero mess, you'd be on to something.
Besides, this is a business where iteritive sequels are the lifeblood of the business. Madden, CoD, Smackdown, Mario, etc.
 

StriderShinryu

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Dec 8, 2009
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Personally, I'd like to see either EA or Microsoft pick them up. As Dance Central has proven, the next big step for music games could well be Kinect and motion control.. and I would imagine they'd love to have the best music game maker out there be exclusive to Microsoft.
 

Simalacrum

Resident Juggler
Apr 17, 2008
5,204
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Hmmmmm....

I don't think Apple will buy Harmonix - they have iTunes and whatnot, yes, but thats a music player - I doubt Apple has any interest in publishing a music game anytime soon (as well as any other mainstream gaming title, it's a computer/mobile device company after all).

I think EA will definitely want Harmonix though... considering that Rock Band is generally more popular than Guitar Hero these days, having the better fish than Activision might prove tempting.

Then again... considering the horrid sales... nobody might want them at all :S
 

Dioxide20

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Aug 11, 2009
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How stupid can they be, they just dropped a hugely successful developer right after a major update to their franchise was released.
 
Mar 16, 2009
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I would hate to see Rock Band picked up by near anybody... but especially Activision. They have proven with Blizzard that they can stay out of the way, but it's freaking Blizzard. World of Warcraft has everybody drinking unicorn blood on top of a pile of leprechaun gold, Activision wouldn't dare **** with the formula. Rock Band is just a rival game to a dying genre, they would merge it with Guitar Hero without a second thought.

I'm sorry to see the game tanking after the stellar reviews it got... and the fun I've been having with it. :c
 

Thunderhorse31

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Apr 22, 2009
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Dioxide20 said:
How stupid can they be, they just dropped a hugely successful developer right after a major update to their franchise was released.
My thoughts exactly. RB3 is critically acclaimed at the moment, and it's only been out for 2 weeks. Were they expecting everyone to immediately upgrade all instruments and buy the game RIGHT NOW? Hell, the Mustang guitar isn't even out yet and the Squier strat doesn't even come out until March - maybe some guitarists are waiting to pick it up then?

Pissing about poor sales right now seems like more than a slight overreaction.
 

drisky

New member
Mar 16, 2009
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Thunderhorse31 said:
Dioxide20 said:
How stupid can they be, they just dropped a hugely successful developer right after a major update to their franchise was released.
My thoughts exactly. RB3 is critically acclaimed at the moment, and it's only been out for 2 weeks. Were they expecting everyone to immediately upgrade all instruments and buy the game RIGHT NOW? Hell, the Mustang guitar isn't even out yet and the Squier strat doesn't even come out until March - maybe some guitarists are waiting to pick it up then?

Pissing about poor sales right now seems like more than a slight overreaction.
I don't know about that, early sales can be a good indication of how the rest will go. I think over saturation is causing guitar games to die. However I think Harmonix is capable of finding the next innovation, the music/rhythm genre isn't dead its just time for the next big change.
 

RowdyRodimus

New member
Apr 24, 2010
1,154
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drisky said:
Thunderhorse31 said:
Dioxide20 said:
How stupid can they be, they just dropped a hugely successful developer right after a major update to their franchise was released.
My thoughts exactly. RB3 is critically acclaimed at the moment, and it's only been out for 2 weeks. Were they expecting everyone to immediately upgrade all instruments and buy the game RIGHT NOW? Hell, the Mustang guitar isn't even out yet and the Squier strat doesn't even come out until March - maybe some guitarists are waiting to pick it up then?

Pissing about poor sales right now seems like more than a slight overreaction.
I don't know about that, early sales can be a good indication of how the rest will go. I think over saturation is causing guitar games to die. However I think Harmonix is capable of finding the next innovation, the music/rhythm genre isn't dead its just time for the next big change.
Maybe it has something to do with the whole "You need X guitar to play this game but Game Y can use guitar Z but not guitar X and this game uses guitar X and W" thing. I mean I understand wanting to sell your brands peripherals, but it gets kind of annoying not knowing what guitar or drums work with what game.
 

kouriichi

New member
Sep 5, 2010
2,415
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Rockband sales are tanking? I didnt know that.

Id buy the company..... but im a bit strapped for cash.