MTV snaps up Guitar Hero developer [update 1]
by Kyle Orland 
{ Sep 22nd 2006 at 10:55AM }
How much is a franchise like Guitar Hero worth? Roughly $275 million. That's what you get when you add the nearly $100 million that Activision paid for publisher RedOctane and the $175 million in cash that MTV is set to pay for developer Harmonix.True, RedOctane also has a modest game rental business and Harmonix is also the developer behind the successful Karaoke Revolution series, but there's no question that Guitar Hero was the game that sent these two companies fortunes into the stratosphere.
The MTV deal, as reported by the New York Times, will utilize Harmonix's experience with music-based games to design play-and-remix-and-sing-along experiences for MTV's web, mobile and VMTV virtual world services. That's all well and good, but we'd like to see what this partnership can do with the console-based MTV Music Generator series, which has lagged a bit since CodeMasters took the publishing rights over from... Activision. Hmm...
[Update 1: Harmonix has issued a press release with more details about the buyout]
[Thanks Ben]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Razlo @ Sep 22nd 2006 11:06AM
Please update the story with the official press release as the NY Times article has some inaccuracies.
http://www.harmonixmusic.com/press092206.html
Joe Marszalek @ Sep 23rd 2006 9:41AM
MTV has lost its roots. Now its all shows and no music. Everything is over produced. Now they want to destroy gaming. Please someone stop them.
It used to be they wanted you to tell the Cable Providers "I want my MTV" so they would add MTV to their line up. Its sad to have to use the same statement against MTV itself. Where is the music. They need to fire all the TV Producers and bring back music videos and music programs. What is music television have to do with all the so-called "reality" shows and dating shows MTV is broadcasting nearly 24 hours a day. Do they even do MTV news when its not around election time. How did people even vote for TRL when they never got to see a video to vote for.
nick @ Sep 22nd 2006 11:44AM
oh no....
Tom @ Sep 22nd 2006 11:51AM
RIP Frequency, Amplitude, AntiGrav, Guitar Hero, KR.
greatn @ Sep 22nd 2006 11:51AM
nick...
DON'T PANIC.
MTV isn't taking creative control or anything.
Wreckhart @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:47PM
Good news. I would love to see a next-gen version of MTV Music Generator as long as they go back to the first and second versions of the game where you could build your own song from many samples instead of the set songs they give you. Plus with downloadable content and all the next gen capabilities producing an album for all you aspiring dance music stars and hip-hop stunners.
As far as guitar hero goes i cant wait till next month i am dying for new songs. I cant wait to play G n R, Rage, Primus and all the rest at real worl venue's like the Warped Tour or hopefully Ozzfest.
Oh yeah glad to hear all you x-box bitches will finally get to play this awesome game. Weather Sony or Microsoft fanboy we can all appreciate a killer game such as this.
Bill @ Sep 22nd 2006 6:42PM
This just in ...
All these music related games will now be games based on relatity TV shows about 16 year olds.
Enjoy.
Flit @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:23PM
NOOOOOOO!
If you think that MTV won't affect creative control, you must be loopy. Why else would a company that makes money by tossing out music for general consumption buy a music game? It's illogical to think this won't effect what songs go into guitar hero, there is no other reason for MTV to buy them! Goodbye Edgar Winter Group, Hello Hawthorne Heights and Panic! at the Disco. That may be good news for some of you, but man, yuck. As fun as it is to play 4 chord operas off of mtv, this is the beginning of the decline of Harmonix if this effects what songs go into the games.
Oh, and I hope that someone, anybody, builds controller adapters so i can play my (will be) 2 controllers on an xbox or something other than the PS2, my ps2 laser works 1/5 of the time, and i would happily buy it on other formats, but man, let me use my controllers I already have!
Fild @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:43PM
That's pretty awesome. Now no more patent disputes over Drummania, and they can bring that sucker over to the US. FINALLY!
Silver @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:37PM
Ugh, just what the world needs, more MTV contamination. MTV needs to stick with what it does best - crappy reality shows about bratty tweens and adult-escents.
Judd @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:41PM
Oh c'mon guys. Think about how many musical opportunities this opens up. We all know how much we anticipate songs such as "SexyBack", and amazing artists such as that chick from Black Eyed Peas to be in the next Guitar Hero. Who cares about stupid all-instrumental songs by such old bands like the Allman Brothers Band? I need to listen to new stuff. After it's been out for a month, what's the point of listening to it again? Wouln't it be awesome if we can play along with Nick Cannon's rapping on my favorite show in the world Wild 'N Out?
/sarcasm
All Your Lost Socks @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:45PM
Right on, #6. MTV poisons everything it controls.
I think I just died a little on the inside.
Robotkid @ Sep 22nd 2006 3:17PM
Guys...don't panic! This is a good thing. We don't plan on changing anything!
-Robotkid
Harmonix Music
Wreckhart @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:47PM
Relax MTV was already associated with guitar hero, look at the box it came in. I dont forsee them making you play such crappy bands. I dont think they will try and assert control over content, and hopefully in the future you can dowload the songs you want instead of having to pay for a disc full of bands you dont like. micro-transactions, FTW!
copa @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:53PM
So all of the Guitar Hero follow-ups are being handled by a different dev shop in the Activision fold? That doesn't sound promising.
Wedge @ Sep 22nd 2006 1:20PM
Wow. I have to hope somehow Harmonix is going to be allowed to do what they want, simply because I can't believe they would sell out after GH did so well... If not maybe we'll end up with a splinter company with all the good employees leaving like Rare employees leaving to form Free Radical.
Dmnkly @ Sep 22nd 2006 1:48PM
Oh, crap.
Remains to be seen, but this does NOT bode well.
obo @ Sep 22nd 2006 2:47PM
Finally time to download Frets of Fire and figure out how to get it to work with my GH controller.
You know, just in case this is as bad as it sounds.
Geoffrey @ Sep 22nd 2006 2:55PM
@copa:
Guitar Hero II is still being developed by the original Harmonix team, AFAIK. Where did you hear that Activision was actively developing Guitar Hero games, rather than just publishing them? I remember hearing something about genre specific releases, but not who was actually developing them.
zombiejesus @ Sep 22nd 2006 3:26PM
So now that mtv aquired them does this mean we will be now seeing a drum game since mtv apprently owns the patent to a drum game in america? If so that would rock! "heres to hoping gh3 will have guitar, bass, and drums"
Leper Messiah @ Sep 22nd 2006 3:45PM
Fucking MTV. First they have the most stupid ass lineup ever, Super sweet 16, laguna beach, next, two a days, wild and out, real world if thats even on anymore, and more and more garbage. Seriously, what the fuck is that crap? Why would anybody watch it? Its the most pointless, superficial, stupid, shallow, and just fucking stupid lineup of shows on tv.
And now they buy harmonix, because they think they know whats hip in video games and what music is. They just ruined an amazing new franchise, you know MTV is going to completely ruin them because they think just because millions of retarded, superficial, whores watch mtv, that that makes mtv hip and know everything about pop culture.
vakerorokero @ Sep 22nd 2006 3:39PM
I'll believe when I see it. I guess I need to backup my original guitar hero, since that might be the last great one.
I can see the next playlist with such hits as:
-Laguna beach theme
-Ashlee Simpson next single
-Jessican Simpson next single
-beyonce's next single produced by Jay-Z
-Fergie's next single
-EXCLUSIVE Justin Timberlake Remix by Jay-Z
-about 6 really famous 80's Songs and 2 secret ones.
-3 snoop Dogg songs And he does the intro music for the game
-18 popular EA playlists songs, featured in every other EA game thanks to their corporate relationships with them.
-10 songs for the developers to choose, as long as they fit with MTV brand. No Vh1 crap.
Wedge @ Sep 22nd 2006 3:50PM
I really hope you're right Robotkid. The press release sounds less than pleasant with all the talk of being able to reach "target audiences" and other corporate garbage terms. As long as you guys stay in control of song selection for your core games, it'll be good I suppose. Maybe at least it will let you get rights to use the music you want easier. Working at a company that's a remnant of a developer buyout though, these things seem to often go sour.
Darth Peanut Butter @ Sep 22nd 2006 4:09PM
I can tell you from the inside, this wasnt done to poison anything - everyone here knows that we are going to let the team do what they do best, but help them expand their vision to do more of what they want to do - without the constraints of being an independent development studio.
They're too good at what they do, to do otherwise.
Darth Peanut Butter @ Sep 22nd 2006 4:22PM
...would be purely folly!
WhaleMenace @ Sep 22nd 2006 4:41PM
I really hope this is for the best. MTV is associated with other things that I don't hate... it could end okay.
I'll watch and wait.
And if you guys really are from Harmonix and MTV, and you're releasing all kinds of expansions or whatever the rumor is, I must request: Minibosses Expansion, and maybe a Tenacious D one.