Harmonix earns $208.7 million Rock Band bonus

Here's a guaranteed plan to get rich. First, create a video game company, focus your development efforts towards pioneering the music genre, then get bought out by a larger company and make a hugely successful game. Then, when said hugely successful game gets recognized by the corporate big guys, cash out on your performance bonus package that was outlined in your buyout terms. The result: $208.7 million in bonus cash. And that's exactly what Harmonix got paid by Viacom (MTV Games' parent company) as part of their performance bonus all because Rock Band is super successful. It almost makes us inspired enough to want to follow Harmonix's footsteps but instead pioneer the grocery shopping genre. That would be equally successful, right?