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Report: MTV Games shut down

by Richard Mitchell on Feb 3rd 2011 5:50PM

MCV has reported that MTV Games has officially closed its doors. The site reports that MTV Games' international office was closed on Wednesday and "only a handful of financial staff remain in the New York office to collect or reconcile any outstanding receivables." The news comes in the wake of the recent sale of Rock Band and Dance Central developer Harmonix.

MTV Games parent company Viacom is currently involved in an ongoing legal battle with Harmonix. The developer accuses Viacom of avoiding the payment of performance-based bonuses, a claim that Viacom denies. We've reached out to MTV for comment.

[Update 2/7: We heard back from an MTV spokesperson, who told us, "MTV Games has ceased its publishing operations but has not been completely dissolved." Huh, wonder what that means. We'll let you know if MTV suddenly becomes more forthcoming.]

Source: MCV

Tags: harmonix, microsoft, mobile, mtv-games, nintendo, playstation, ps3, viacom, wii, xbox

Reader Comments (41)

Ironic, the only thing MTV did anymore that was remotely connected to music is now gone.

@joemodzeleski
Funny because it's true, you clever bastard.

@joemodzeleski

I know something that has to do with Music TV is preposterous!

@joemodzeleski What I find even more ironic is that they recently launched a channel called "MTV Music", here in the UK. Wow. That really tells you where they stand now, doesn't it.

Yup, there's now a separate Music TeleVision channel that actually plays music. Crazy talk, I know.

@Dark Archon PSN Archonik XBL Dar

Music Television Music?

@tendoboy1984

Yo dawg, I heard you liked music, so we put music in your music TV, so you can listen while you watch.

Or something.

@GuitarHero666 Oddly enough, when they put music into my Music Tv, it's the only music in there now.

Why does all this haveta happen to Harmonix?
They make good games, they good people.

@wcarnation
I don't know, I've spent hundreds, possibly thousands, on the RB franchise, and RB3 seems pretty half-assed to me.

@mywhitenoise

So adding keyboards and the ability to learn to play guitar FOR REALZ is half-assed? GTFO.

@mywhitenoise That's prolly cause you're looking at it wrong

@squallgengar
Added 2 great features, removed many that weren't necessary.

I own a Pro Guitar, and a real Keyboard with the midi attachment...but they keep limiting the game. As if online wasn't bad enough already with this game, they made it (with the recent patch) so that ALL players online need to buy Pro upgrades to play with people with Pro Guitars...way to alienate your user base.

@mywhitenoise I totally agree with your point that they shouldn't force everyone to purchase the Pro upgrades for me to be able to play Pro Guitar. My wife and I play regularly with bandmates who play drums and sing, they won't *ever* do guitar, so it's stupid to expect them to pay an extra dollar for a pro upgrade they'll never use.

I disagree that this (or other "limitations") make RB3 "half-assed".

@squallgengar Well, if you have a Wii, it's half-assed.

Dang...I was really hoping for a Jersey Shore Fist Pump Rhythm game.

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power and the Skins Kinect game.

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power
Yes we've lost some great games
Sims 4: Teen Mom
Road Rules Turismo
Jersey Shore City Ransom

RIP

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power Shut up they could be reading!

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power

Beat dat beat.

http://baratunde.posterous.com/beat-dat-beat-a-jersey-shore-track-that-will

What did they even do?

@Nytemare457
AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack
Green Day: Rock Band
Rock Band (game only)
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 3
Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock
Rock Band Track Pack: Country
Rock Band Track Pack: Metal
Rock Band: Track Pack -- Volume 2
The Beatles: Rock Band

Stuff like that. The Beatles: Rock Band = awesome.

*published.

bound to happen. Music-genre games wasn't going to last.

@Ballistic H Just like those silly football games...

MTV does actually have one music related enterprise currently running, the Palladia HD music channel. They have a lot of good concerts on it.

@Cranky Penguin

sweet someone else who watches that channel :D

*smiley face*

I'm beginning to genuinely worry about the future of Dance Central. What with all of the legal problems and the trickle of DLC we're getting, it's not looking promising at all.

It's a damned shame too, because Dance Central is one of the best new franchises in recent memory. Compared to it, every other "dance"-based game is pretty close to garbage.

@RickGhastly

Never mind, I'm an idiot. Harmonix is no longer in bed with MTV Games. When I perceive a potential threat to my boy Oblio, I get diarrhea of the brain.

Hey, they still have Skins!

MTV sucks. Just quit everything, MTV.

So, doea this mean no more Rock Band??

@NerdyNose245
Harmonix owns the rights to their games. Rock Band will continue, it just needs a new publisher.

EA, are you listening?

@NerdyNose245 You can read, can't you? Guess not. Rock Band is no longer owned by Viacom/MTV Games. Harmonix bought Rock Band and Dance Central (and all the intellectual rights and copyrights to everything with those games).

MTV Games is shutting down because (presumably) the Rock Band franchise was its only property. Rather than develop more games, it was decided to shut down MTV Games.

At least Harmonix is free to do whatever it wants now.

*calls EA* "Hey, I have a great deal for you... The guys at Harmonix are now independent, and they need a new publisher for the Rock Band franchise..."

@tendoboy1984 Dear God I hope EA stays away from Rock Band. Madden "DLC." Enough said.

@Schlecht

EA has been involved with RB since day one.

Only difference would be is they would become more the publisher they already were. And EA usually does things the right way. It's Asstivision that you should be worried about.

MOAR VIACOM EVILL!!11

News to me. Didn't even know MTV Games existed...

If only the MTV channel got shut down then the world will be a better place.

merit bonus issues.. sounds like the row between Activision and the infinity ward guys.

Didn't know if they did much besides help with DLC; Harmonix doesn't need that help anyway

Breaking News

Report: MTV Games shut down

Reader Comments (41)

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 5:54PM joemodzeleski said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:06PM Dudimus24 said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:10PM Evil Pikachu said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:05PM Dark Archon PSN Archonik XBL Dar said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:30PM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:53PM GuitarHero666 said

Posted: Feb 4th 2011 1:08PM Rocketboy said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 5:54PM wcarnation said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:29PM mywhitenoise said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:33PM squallgengar said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:39PM wcarnation said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:42PM mywhitenoise said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:33PM Ghoti said

Posted: Feb 4th 2011 1:09PM Rocketboy said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:00PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:04PM Revving Injuns said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:14PM DeadInside said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:39PM Leafhopper said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:45PM Truant said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:01PM Nytemare457 said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:11PM Voshempa said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:13PM Voshempa said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:19PM Ballistic H said

Posted: Feb 4th 2011 1:10PM Rocketboy said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:27PM Cranky Penguin said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 9:33PM PR0F3TA said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:38PM Leafhopper said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:40PM RickGhastly said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:52PM RickGhastly said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 6:59PM KungFuChaosNinja said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:32PM NerdyNose245 said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:35PM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:41PM Ghoti said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:34PM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 8:10PM Schlecht said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 9:32PM Mixer23 said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:35PM The Only Girl said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 7:50PM FlashJS said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 8:41PM Nitrokilla said

Posted: Feb 3rd 2011 10:47PM sigma8 said

Posted: Feb 4th 2011 12:10PM ND92 said

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