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Viacom Selling Harmonix

Posted on Wednesday, November 17 @ 17:11:56 Eastern by Nicholas Tan

Murder for freedom the stab in the back.

In a strange step, Viacom is taking popular and successful developer Harmonix off its hands. So the obvious and slightly frightening question is "Who's in the mood to buy?"

The frightening possibility is of course Activision Blizzard. Yes, it could be a "the band is getting back together" moment, but it would also be a bitchy, catty dick move moment. A large part of why Harmonix split off from Guitar Hero in the first place was to get away from how they thought Activision was handling the franchise. (With hindsight, case in point.) Any kind of pact between Harmonix and Activision would have to involve a lot of awkward silences and blood rituals.

The easiest answer would be Electronic Arts who's already a part of the Harmonix family. Of course, it could also view the franchise as something that doesn't have much potential to grow. Does anyone want another peripheral in their living room? Even more DLC? Maybe for a year or so, but what will "Rock Band 4" even look like? Still, Harmonix have been practically geniuses so far; it would be hard-pressed to bet against them and against EA for skipping over Harmonix.

Other possible suitors include the big three: Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. Nintendo would be the odd one out given the online presence of the Rock Band franchise, and Sony may not have enough in their coiffeurs to make a legitimate proposal. Microsoft, on the other hand, can strut its weight however it feels like, and it should be impressed with their work on Dance Central. Exclusivity also wouldn't be beyond its mind, either.

(The picture has little to do with the story. As if it needs to have any.)

Comments

Lien
Joined: Feb 2008

Posted: Nov 18th, 2010 at 3:56 am
Two word if Activision blizzard buys the franchise: Bard class. It was an April fools but it's gonna happen... you'll see!

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sliverstorm
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Nov 18th, 2010 at 10:57 am
This is the right move by Viacom. They were losing money on Harmonix, and divesting while there's still value in the brand and the development team to the right buyer is the way to go here.

I guess Viacom figured that MTV did music and so did Harmonix, so...? Either way, Viacom's predicted synergies didn't exist at all--Viacom actually DESTROYED value by pulling Harmonix into an environment where publishing and distribution were not supported. Now, they're admitting their mistake and getting out, which is a hell of a lot better for both parties than having some division head allow Harmonix to dissolve over the next year, shedding headcount until the crumbled remainder gets popped with all the fanfare of a firecracker strapped to a plastic army man.

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