MTV Games: 'No future projects were affected' by Harmonix restructuring

Today's 39 layoffs at Rock Band-developer Harmonix represented 13 percent of its staff, Joystiq has learned in a follow-up with MTV Games. The publisher expressed that Harmonix, its QA department and support positions were built to accommodate the 2009 worldwide release schedule. The developer will now shift to a "combination of temporary/part time help, outsourcing and support from external partners -- which is in line with how other game developers manage their QA departments."

When asked if this restructuring was precipitated by sales of The Beatles: Rock Band, a Harmonix/MTV Games spokesperson told Joystiq, "No. This was a process and business decision unrelated to the performance of any MTV Games / Harmonix product. MTV Games and Harmonix are very pleased with the sales of our Rock Band titles and we expect to continue to see strong sales throughout the holidays across all of our titles. The Beatles: Rock Band has sold over 1 million units worldwide to date. Again, the reason for the restructuring is due to better aligning our staffing to best suit our product development plans and schedules moving forward."

MTV Games also wanted to make sure that it was clear that "no future projects were affected by the restructuring."