Monday, January 22, 2007
It's Official: Harmonix No Longer Making Guitar Hero
I was hoping it was just a rumor, but it seems that RedOctane has now stated quite plainly that the original creators of Guitar Hero, Harmonix, will no longer be involved in the Guitar Hero franchise, and that development is being transferred to Neversoft.While this was something of a surprise, the fact that both companies (RedOctane and Neversoft) are now Activision subsidiaries makes the decision pretty obvious.
In the above link, Dusty Welch, head of publishing, explains the rationale and the future of the franchise. He goes into a lot of PR doublespeak to say very little, but basically it boils down to three arguments:
#1) Not having to pay out royalties to a third party is like free money!
#2) Doing a skateboarding game with music in it is almost like making like making music-and-rhythm game, so Neversoft will do just as well as Harmonix.
#3) Please don't bring up the subject of Gun.
Actually, I made up the third point. So it's really only about first two. And if the second point sounds really weak (he only repeats it in various ways about six times to make it sound stronger), see point #1. Again.
He does mention their intention to continue working with WaveGroup sound, who handled the song covers in the first two games. This is definitely good news, as they've done a stellar job. And to be completely honest, I'm actually not that concerned about Neversoft screwing it up. The blueprint is firmly in place, and I expect that the Neversoft dev team will be a competent and respectful of the series.
I'm sure Harmonix will also put a positive spin on the situation, and will publicly make nice with RedOctane and Activision and talk about the exciting new opportunities they are now exploring. But it sounds to me that when all is said and done --- they got shafted. Legally and legitimately. As much as RedOctane contributed to the development of the games (more than just the controller!), it was Harmonix that that made it into the ultra-valuable hit franchise. And now they are being told, "Thank you for making us rich, don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out!"
The moral of the story, kids, is this: He who owns the I.P. rights gets to take home ALL the marbles.
Remember that when signing on the bottom line.
If you decide to learn to play the electric guitar--the real one, not the wonderfully fun plastic guitar from Guitar Hero--then research different electric guitars before you buy one.
(Vaguely) related bits of fluff:
* The House the Mouse Built
* Original or Licensed IP?
* Guitar Hero Tidbits
* Guitar Hero Mini-Review
.
Labels: Biz, Guitar Hero
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 8:00 AM (Permalink)
Comments:
Links to this post:
<< Home
To further point 1), paying royalties to Harmonix is like giving MTV/Viacom money since Harmonix is owned by them now.
Though I too expect Neversoft to do a solid job, I do kind of feel the series will lose that magic "feel". All franchises lose that "something" when passed on to another developer. (Just ask the Twisted Metal fans. :) )
Check out the PC game "Frets on Fire". It's a Python-implemented free Guitar Hero type of game. You can even use your PS2 guitar controller if you have the PS2-to-USB connector. It doesn't have all the fancy graphics as GH, but you can rip your GH/GH2 songs to be used in the game as well as download lots of community-created popular songs. It's a little slow on my machine, so the timing doesn't feel tight like GH on PS2, but it's still pretty cool.
Though I too expect Neversoft to do a solid job, I do kind of feel the series will lose that magic "feel". All franchises lose that "something" when passed on to another developer. (Just ask the Twisted Metal fans. :) )
Check out the PC game "Frets on Fire". It's a Python-implemented free Guitar Hero type of game. You can even use your PS2 guitar controller if you have the PS2-to-USB connector. It doesn't have all the fancy graphics as GH, but you can rip your GH/GH2 songs to be used in the game as well as download lots of community-created popular songs. It's a little slow on my machine, so the timing doesn't feel tight like GH on PS2, but it's still pretty cool.
I think that Harmonix once hosted a meeting of the Boston Post Mortem game developer's gathering prior to the MTV sale. However, what really strikes me as amazing is that, according to their Wikipedia entry, four of their employees were members of the Gert Jonnys.
It's this that makes them a special company.
It's this that makes them a special company.
Yeah, they hosted the Boston meeting prior to Guitar Hero 2 launch to show off an early version. That would have been a sweet meeting to attend. :)
I haven't seen much innovation in the Tony Hawk series, so I doubt this studio will bring anything new to GH.
At least the most important innovation (co-op multiplayer) was put in before Activision made a decision based entirely on the bottom line.
GH will now go the way of DDR: Each new edition will pretty much just be new songs with minimal innovation.
At least the most important innovation (co-op multiplayer) was put in before Activision made a decision based entirely on the bottom line.
GH will now go the way of DDR: Each new edition will pretty much just be new songs with minimal innovation.
Yeah, I'm bummed by the news. The thing is that the Harmonix crew was VERY in-tune with the music and the indie rock scene --- they didn't have to try hard to get their inspiration and to know what direction to take the game. I worry that while Neversoft might do a really good paint-by-numbers Guitar Hero III, it won't have as much soul to it as Harmonix was able to provide.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
<< Home
