You may remember that way back in May of this year, Activision snapped up Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane for the bargain basement price of $100 million. The publisher also announced last week that the franchise will move beyond the PlayStation in 2007 onto other formats.
So it’s intriguing to learn that MTV Networks announced at the end of last week that they have bought up Guitar Hero’s developer Harmonix for a cool $175 million. Cash.
"Harmonix's technology allows everyone to pursue their rock and roll fantasies, even people like me, with more musical ambition than actual talent," said MTV president Christina Norman in a press release announcing the deal.
She continued, in a more corporate-friendly tone: "The acquisition…will deepen MTV's connection to its audience via online, mobile and console music gaming, and expand the relationship with both labels and artists through the creation of games based on classic songs as well as future album releases.”
More corporo-blurb comes courtesy of Judy McGrath, chairman and CEO, MTV Networks, who added: "The acquisition of Harmonix advances MTV Networks' strategy of connecting with target audiences by creating immersive, multi-platform environments that extend to every device they use." Quite.
While of course it’s superb news for the guys at Harmonix, who we imagine will have been seriously rocking out all weekend, is this such great news for the future of Guitar Hero? Or for whatever similar type of game MTV/Harmonix produces in the future?
SPOnG has fond memories of MTV from our younger years, although it has lost its way of late, with way too many sub-par reality shows clogging up its schedule (Cribs, Pimp My Ride etc.). SPOnG just put a call in to Harmonix over in Massachusetts to try to find out a little more about what the deal is going to mean for gamers, for the future of the Guitar Hero series and what “...connecting with target audiences by creating immersive, multi-platform environments” actually might mean in practice.
So it’s intriguing to learn that MTV Networks announced at the end of last week that they have bought up Guitar Hero’s developer Harmonix for a cool $175 million. Cash.
"Harmonix's technology allows everyone to pursue their rock and roll fantasies, even people like me, with more musical ambition than actual talent," said MTV president Christina Norman in a press release announcing the deal.
She continued, in a more corporate-friendly tone: "The acquisition…will deepen MTV's connection to its audience via online, mobile and console music gaming, and expand the relationship with both labels and artists through the creation of games based on classic songs as well as future album releases.”
More corporo-blurb comes courtesy of Judy McGrath, chairman and CEO, MTV Networks, who added: "The acquisition of Harmonix advances MTV Networks' strategy of connecting with target audiences by creating immersive, multi-platform environments that extend to every device they use." Quite.
While of course it’s superb news for the guys at Harmonix, who we imagine will have been seriously rocking out all weekend, is this such great news for the future of Guitar Hero? Or for whatever similar type of game MTV/Harmonix produces in the future?
SPOnG has fond memories of MTV from our younger years, although it has lost its way of late, with way too many sub-par reality shows clogging up its schedule (Cribs, Pimp My Ride etc.). SPOnG just put a call in to Harmonix over in Massachusetts to try to find out a little more about what the deal is going to mean for gamers, for the future of the Guitar Hero series and what “...connecting with target audiences by creating immersive, multi-platform environments” actually might mean in practice.
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SPInGSPOnG 25 Sep 2006 15:35
1/1
MTV spent bucketloads to produce more s**t. Figures. What used to be cool has turned into a hideous corporate morass. When did they last bring us an Aeon Flux or a Beavis and Butthead.
MTV sucks.
But what will Activision be left with from this?
MTV sucks.
But what will Activision be left with from this?