Forbes profiles Kotick, calls Rock Band 'shameless knockoff of Guitar Hero'
by Ross Miller 
{ Jan 19th 2009 at 4:55PM }
The decidedly negative tone without attribution is uncharacteristic for the magazine, and also feels a bit ... off? We know the Harmonix-RedOctane schism can be a bit confusing, but when the creators of the hit franchise are the ones making Rock Band -- and doing the multi-instrument thing first -- is that really the best choice of words?
[Via geoffkeighley]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Shmil @ Jan 19th 2009 4:59PM
Now thats a face only a mother could love.
danny. @ Jan 19th 2009 5:06PM
well, someone asked for more J. McElroy look alikes...
The Dark Wayne @ Jan 19th 2009 5:25PM
funny thing is he's probably got a hot wife who just swims in their money filled in door pool
copa @ Jan 19th 2009 5:26PM
It's not just his face.
I mean Jesus Fucking Christ, does Activision suck so hard because that lardass ate all the original IP's?
dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jan 19th 2009 9:12PM
At least Justin's a smooth pimp.
ChapmanTheFool @ Jan 19th 2009 5:00PM
Has he played the ravesty that is Guitar Hero: World Tour? Sorry but Ill stick with Rock Band.
Lord Negatron @ Jan 19th 2009 5:16PM
Exactly!
So i guess GH was supposed to be a monopoly in the musical games dept.??
Please, foolish quote from its blind source. Only thing RockBand has ripped from GH is its customers Constant songs, to dowload minus the $60 rip off additions.
Ohh look its Aerosmith, Metallica! Um honestly, most people that try to play their best,can barely glimpse at the toons in the background. Focus is mainly on the scrolling buttons. Unless you play something to the point where you have it utterly memorized. Then you need to really stop and just try and learn the real thing if your that dedicated to not have to look at the buttons(on screen) once. (My opinion)
WiredKnight @ Jan 19th 2009 5:58PM
Yea really.
I think what he means is that Rock Band is a shameless, superior expansion to Guitar Hero, and World Tour is a shameless knock-off of Rockband.
Haggard @ Jan 19th 2009 5:00PM
lol.. Harmonix could totally sue them for libel.
Erik Stroud @ Jan 19th 2009 5:29PM
But they won't just because they would get a bad rep. I would agree that Rock Band was a knockoff if Rock Band wasn't created by the original creators of Guitar Hero. I think Forbes may want to read up a little before he says stuff for now on.
Lone Starr @ Jan 19th 2009 6:01PM
^
You do realize it was not Steve Forbes who wrote this, right?
Kelly @ Jan 19th 2009 10:39PM
He meant forbes the magazine as a whole.
As far as the quote goes, it sucks because you know as well as they do that they are going to get away with it. And Rock Band is getting the short end of the stick because only people like us know the cold hard truth.
This has bad publicity written all over it.
The Stick @ Jan 19th 2009 5:01PM
Dear Forbes,
Stick to bailouts, not videogames. We used to have magazines that would cover that thank you very much.
Signed,
All of us
aristokrat @ Jan 19th 2009 8:04PM
Ah, print journalism: making itself irrelevant one dumb sentence at a time.
Sam @ Jan 19th 2009 5:04PM
10/10 Rage material right here.
I think i burst a blood vessel in anger.
atrimus @ Jan 19th 2009 5:32PM
why? just play RB and be content. Forbes are entitled to their own opinion, even if it's an asinine one.
Haggard @ Jan 19th 2009 5:53PM
They also have a reader base who don't know the truth, and now have a false impression of a superior franchise and the original developer.
NoughtSoClever @ Jan 19th 2009 7:29PM
They have a reader base that is too busy jerking off to their bank statements to give a damn about who made what video game.
Eric @ Jan 19th 2009 5:01PM
Fuck you buddy, Harmonix did it first and better. Way to take credit for something you inherited.
samfish @ Jan 19th 2009 5:07PM
Actually, Konami did. People tend to forget that...
Eric @ Jan 19th 2009 5:10PM
I know that. But Harmonix perfected it and made the brand what it is today.
Syn @ Jan 19th 2009 5:49PM
Musikalisches Würfelspiel
OMGOMG @ Jan 19th 2009 5:20PM
Harmonix made the note highway. Enough said.
copa @ Jan 19th 2009 5:22PM
Thanks, Samfish. Unlike Forbes, we have the decency to issue a corrected statement:
Fuck you buddy, Konami did it first and Harmonix did it better.
Samuel D. Lockhart @ Jan 19th 2009 5:23PM
Bobby's not taking credit, at least not here. The writer made that statement in his article about Kotick.
Ignatius @ Jan 19th 2009 7:17PM
Konami slacked off after making the idea, screwed over fans around the rest of the world that ISN'T Japan, then released a crapfest called Rock Revolution after getting behind everyone else.
They're not even worth mentioning at this point.
doom saber @ Jan 20th 2009 3:24AM
Funny how a lot of ppl on this site NEVER reads the article since if you guys bothered to read it, you will realize that it is not the CEO of Activision who said that quote, but it was the magazine editor.
Joystiq is sneaky where they put any pic up there, resultin a several posters attacking the wrong person.
Soulcrux42 @ Jan 19th 2009 5:01PM
Talk about being negative and bitter.
Looming deadlines,perhaps?
Last time I checked adding to something and making it better is not a shameless rip off, but that's just me.
Sora @ Jan 19th 2009 5:02PM
Gee, Activision TOTALLY didn't pay them to say that. They can't have.
Obie @ Jan 19th 2009 5:02PM
Oh no he didn't!
Chris @ Jan 19th 2009 5:03PM
Wow...not cool.
Alien Lord @ Jan 19th 2009 5:05PM
They both suck so who cares if one is a shameless rip off of the other. Ripping of crap still get you crap.
Drew @ Jan 19th 2009 5:16PM
We get it. You hate music games. Is now the part that we pretend to care about you, and ask for your irrational reasoning? I hope I didn't offend you, lest you call me a fanboy.
Shmil @ Jan 19th 2009 5:17PM
is there anything you like? Besides space fps's
Farseer (GDI) @ Jan 19th 2009 5:44PM
I imagine he likes masturbating. At least that's all his comments seem to be...
Alien Lord @ Jan 19th 2009 8:21PM
If one really likes playing instruments that much go out and actually learn to play one.
Drew @ Jan 19th 2009 8:33PM
lolwut? GH 1 got me into real guitar. And now I play Rock Band, AND real guitar! I'm your wet dream! DATE ME.
HippoHero @ Jan 19th 2009 8:33PM
"If one really likes playing instruments that much go out and actually learn to play one."
If learning an instrument was as fun and as easy as Rock Band, we'd all be mucisians.
I took 10 years of piano. I still have trouble sight-reading grade 5 material.
Music games are all the fun of being a mucisian without having to devote stupid amounts of time and money to buying, maintaining, and learning an instrument. It's fun. Try it.
Blank-Mage @ Jan 20th 2009 5:07AM
I play piano, but only tunes from RPGs like FF and Xenosaga. And Portal. I made an exception.
Farseer (GDI) @ Jan 20th 2009 8:30AM
Because of RB, I finally started taking guitar lessons. I'd been putting it off for about fifteen years, but now I'm actually doing it. You know what, I still play RB. Now why would I do that?
I play RB because the guitar is fucking hard to play. It will take me years before I am anywhere close to competent. With RB, on the other hand, I can have a lot of fun immediately - I'm all about instant gratification.
jackal @ Jan 20th 2009 4:58PM
Oh Squid Lips, how overtaken with joy I was when I had discovered that you had imparted us with such an eloquent piece of information. Truly, you are a king amongst men for bestowing us with such knowledge and grace. If you would be so kind as to indulge me, please dance into the nearest grease fire and stay there until your flesh has the some texture, as well as consistency, of charcoal.
RyFar206 @ Jan 19th 2009 5:06PM
Sure, the guitar/bass part is exactly alike (not surprising since HARMONIX ORIGINALLY WORKED ON GUITAR HERO), but Rock Band did drums and vocals before Guitar Hero, so this argument is stupid. Stick to what you know best Forbes, and leave game-bashing alone.
Viol8tor Mode @ Jan 19th 2009 5:07PM
I'm kind of embarrassed to be working for Activision right now...
Eric @ Jan 19th 2009 5:11PM
Why does your company whore out it's IP's? Is it for dump trucks loads of money?
Haggard @ Jan 19th 2009 6:24PM
And your boss is fat
Drew @ Jan 19th 2009 8:41PM
Please. Burn it.
Blank-Mage @ Jan 20th 2009 1:14AM
You MAKE me hate you. You MAKE ME!
Dustin @ Jan 19th 2009 5:07PM
Funny. Harmonix made the first 2 Guitar Heros, then they sold the license to Red Octane who spilt off. I think GH4 is a knock off of RB because of teh drums and mic and band play. It's called GUITAR HERO, not Band Hero. Fucker
Haggard @ Jan 19th 2009 6:08PM
Though they have registered patents for "Band Hero", "Drum Hero", and even "Guitar Villain".
I imagine that plays much like L4D's infected mode. You jump into the game of someone playing Guitar Hero and annoy/distract them until they fail.
Hafk @ Jan 19th 2009 7:01PM
Just so your facts are straight:
Red Octane has always had the rights to the Guitar Hero name. They were bought by Activision around Jaunary 2007, hence how Activision now has the rights.
Red Octane actually approached Harmonix about developing a game for their new guitar controller.
Also, Harmonix developed three GH games. You most likely forgot about the 80s game (It is very underrated, despite the fact that it was $50 for 30 songs. It was $50 for 29 REALLY REALLY REALLY good songs! Rock Band fucking needs Seventeen, Play With Me, Only a Lad, Holy Diver, I Ran, and Turning Japanese so I can sell my copy of Rock the 80s.
Seriously, I want to sing Turning Japanese. Please? PLEAAASEEEE??