Buying Rock Band Developer Harmonix Like Catching a Falling Knife, Says EA

[Logan Westbrook]

Buying Rock Band Developer Harmonix Like Catching a Falling Knife, Says EA

Whoever buys Harmonix runs the risk of doing themselves more harm than good, says EA's CEO.

It may be the distributor for the Rock Band games, but EA says it will not be buying their developer, Harmonix. Speaking to Bloomberg [http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-30/electronic-arts-chief-riccitiello-hunts-video-game-bargain-bin-for-deals.html?cmpid=yhoo], CEO John Riccitiello said that such an acquisition made would make a certain kind of sense, but that it wasn't the strategic direction EA wanted to take.

Riccitiello believed that purchasing Harmonix would send the message that EA was "doubling down" on the victories of the past, which made it more difficult to convince investors that the future of EA - which included social and casual gaming - was the "Promised Land." He compared buying Harmonix to trying to catch a falling knife, saying that the buyer's timing would have to be just right to be successful. He pointed out however, that most people who tried to catch a falling knife just ended up cutting their hands.

It's a hard to argue with Riccitiello, as neither of the most recent Rock Band or Guitar Hero games have sold particularly well. If the bubble has burst and people aren't buying music games, then you can hardly blame publishers like EA for being hesitant about buying the studio, just as you can't really blame Viacom for wanting to sell.

Source: via 1up [http://www.1up.com/news/buying-harmonix-catch-falling-knife]


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[teh_Canape]

Buying Rock Band Developer Harmonix Like Catching a Falling Knife, Says EA

use gloves

now, douchebag-ness aside, you know what would be cool? using the Criterion strategy

shit yourself on money with a franchise, then release a different title on a different genre, but with the same feel

and then use that time to improve on your first franchise with a new title ^-^

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

yeah not many people music games any more. With the exception of dance central

Which ironically is made by the very same developer.

Sucks to see Harmonix getting thrown around like this, they are an awesome developing company and Rock Band 3 was a superb game in my opinion.

 

[Cliff_m85]

Halo is an extremely popular franchise. Imagine if you had to buy three controllers every time it came out though. I think people are tired of the fake guitars, drums, and whatnot that they have to find room for.

I think we'll see them sell a bit more during Christmas time, but really the focus should've been on extending music libraries via DLC then graphic overhauls and storylines.

I know I spent about $50-$100 on music DLC.

 

[Poketom]

Ermmm...Also from today...

"I think the music genre is going to recover," John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, the company the distributes Rock Band, told me this morning during an interview in New York.

Source - http://kotaku.com/5702548/music-games-will-make-a-comeback-but-how-is-a-mystery

 

[Flying Dagger]

Maybe their sales would be better if they didn't release a hundred identical games a year...

 

[Amnestic]

I think a move to a more modular pathway is going to be what keeps the music genre alive. Less of these full "Rock Band" titles and more of these "Rock Band: Beatles" or "Guitar Hero: Metallica" type titles.

Because lets face it, if you look at the Rock Band 2 tracklist, at least half of what you see is shit you don't want to play, and maybe a quarter is stuff you've never even heard of. It gets even more narrow when you add another three people trying to decide what to play.

Cheaper sales of certain bands and entirely separate but always compatible peripherals are the way forward in my eyes.

 

[Buccura]

I blame Activision (Easy Target I know) for Saturating the market too much.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

The thing with music and rhytm games is that you eventually cannot just repackage the old, introduce one or two new features and sell it as a game. You're forced to innovate and unfortunately no company is willing to take that risk.

The music game market is done for and the only way to gain a profit from it is by selling songs online to increase the library of current games. Unless, that is, someone innovates the entire genre.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

But unlike Guitar Hero, Rock Band's quality hasn't suffered.

 

[Weaver]

Brilliant idea:
use harmonix to make things which aren't music games.

They're obviously a creative bunch over there, I feel like a lot of amazing ideas are being locked away behind the stereotype that they only have, and thus only should, make music games.

OR if they have to/want to stay along the music route: make games like Audio Surf, Beat Hazard, REZ, etc. Games where the music is part of the gameplay.

 

[Something Amyss]

Halo is an extremely popular franchise. Imagine if you had to buy three controllers every time it came out though. I think people are tired of the fake guitars, drums, and whatnot that they have to find room for.

I think we'll see them sell a bit more during Christmas time, but really the focus should've been on extending music libraries via DLC then graphic overhauls and storylines.

I know I spent about $50-$100 on music DLC.

You really don't have to buy new guitars every time. Or drums.

 

[Cliff_m85]

Halo is an extremely popular franchise. Imagine if you had to buy three controllers every time it came out though. I think people are tired of the fake guitars, drums, and whatnot that they have to find room for.

I think we'll see them sell a bit more during Christmas time, but really the focus should've been on extending music libraries via DLC then graphic overhauls and storylines.

I know I spent about $50-$100 on music DLC.

You really don't have to buy new guitars every time. Or drums.

Certainly you don't. Unless you want the 'full experience'.

Rock Band instruments won't work on Guitar hero instruments.
Rock Band releases new Keytar. And stringed guitar.

You could do it without these add ons, but you'd be missing out a bit. Then the fee for transferring songs.

 

[Sight Unseen]

Maybe their sales would be better if they didn't release a hundred identical games a year...

They've released TWO games this year.... TWO... And they are very different in feel, art style, music, and in game features. Rock Band 3 is a completely overhauled game where even some of the core mechanics got changed, and all got expanded upon.

You must be incredibly ignorant to make this statement if you're serious.

 

[Something Amyss]

Certainly you don't. Unless you want the 'full experience'.

Rock Band instruments won't work on Guitar hero instruments.
Rock Band releases new Keytar. And stringed guitar.

You could do it without these add ons, but you'd be missing out a bit. Then the fee for transferring songs.

Rock Band instruments don't work on Guitar Hero games? Then how have I been playing all the titles since WT with RB guitars and drums?

(And it works both ways).

The Strat has been effectively the same since RB1 four years ago, the drums haven't changed since the last iteration two years ago, and while the keyboard is new, they're hardly offering up a new instrument every time.

 

[mjc0961]

Halo is an extremely popular franchise. Imagine if you had to buy three controllers every time it came out though. I think people are tired of the fake guitars, drums, and whatnot that they have to find room for.

Also imagine if all you did in Halo was just one giant quick time event after another, and there was no possibility of any awesome moments you might have in Halo as a shooter.

I think those two things are why people aren't buying these games that much anymore.

Maybe their sales would be better if they didn't release a hundred identical games a year...

They've released TWO games this year.... TWO... And they are very different in feel, art style, music, and in game features. Rock Band 3 is a completely overhauled game where even some of the core mechanics got changed, and all got expanded upon.

You must be incredibly ignorant to make this statement if you're serious.

At the end of the day, the games are all still just a series of quick time events (minus pro mode I suppose). You can't blame people for looking at all of them and seeing the same thing, even if music from The Beatles and Green Day are miles apart.

 

[Exort]

Ermmm...Also from today...

"I think the music genre is going to recover," John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, the company the distributes Rock Band, told me this morning during an interview in New York.

Source - http://kotaku.com/5702548/music-games-will-make-a-comeback-but-how-is-a-mystery

He is saying this so the price of Harmonix will go down and then he will buy Harmonix.