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MTV Buys Harmonix. Is Guitar Hero Ruined?

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 22 2006 10:30 AM

Submitted by WilWheaton. Edited By WilWheaton.

TAGS: Guitar Hero, MTV, gaming

When Activision bought Guitar Hero publisher Red Octane earlier this year, Guitar Hero geeks rejoiced; the purchase meant more money and development power for Red Octane, and that meant more frequent releases and updates for us.

The announcement today that MTV has purchased Harmonix -- the other half of the Guitar Hero team -- is not eliciting the same throwing of goats and rocking out of star power.

Harmonix deserves the money, no one will dispute that, but the acquisition is certainly worrying. Part of the reason Harmonix has been able to get away with dumping obscure, yet appreciated and known, songs and artists into their Guitar Hero games comes from their independence from the mainstream, but aligning themselves with MTV is essentially the polar opposite.

On one hand, MTV's resources could allow Harmonix to truly blossom as a studio. The darker, more cynical hand, however, believes Harmonix will be forced into promoting MTV's band-of-the-minute. Now That's What I Call Punk Pop: Guitar Hero Edition, featuring Fall Out Boy, The Audition and Panic! At The Disco --- coming soon? Tears are rolling already.

MTV hasn't done anything good for music or popular culture in over a decade, so there is legitimate cause for concern, but Harmonix is just one half of the creative team, so there's a very good chance that the cash infusion and legitimacy (within the mainstream, and with the damn kids today) that MTV brings to the game will help future releases, while the involvement of Red Octane, Activision, and -- oh yeah, the creative people at Harmonix who love this game as much as the players do -- will prevent the same people who ruined MTV from ruining Guitar Hero.

29 Comments

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_kungfoo_

Omaha, NE

April 2005

SEP 22, 2006 10:41 AM

I so hate MTV.

PunkRockElvis

Bayport, NY

January 2006

SEP 22, 2006 10:42 AM

Does this mean Guitar Hero is just gonna be a bad reality TV show where a slew of guitarist face off against one another to be in a supergroup involving a bunch of washed up rockstars like Rob Thomas, the guy who got kicked out of Weezer, and Blink 182's original drummer?

bean

STAFF

Los Angeles, CA

SEP 22, 2006 10:45 AM

I agree with everything except this:

WilWheaton said:
MTV hasn't done anything good for music or popular culture in over a decade...

MTV2 was still playing relatively obscure alternative and electronic videos (and only videos) in 96-98, and introduced a whole lot of people to acts they might otherwise not have been exposed to. I don't know when they went wrong because I stopped watching it around 98, but that was just under a decade ago, and since MTV2 was a MTV property...

...and yes, I know, I'm sidestepping the point and nitpicking. But it's all in good fun.

PointBlank

New York, NY

November 2004

SEP 22, 2006 10:48 AM

How can a song be "obscure" yet "appreciated and known" at the same time?

MeAtyPunK

Norwich, CT

June 2003

SEP 22, 2006 10:49 AM

As a devoted lover of guitar hero...this scares me...

Krass_of_nod

Bend, OR

April 2005

SEP 22, 2006 10:52 AM

MTV = Al Quaida of music....

RubberSoul

Los Angeles, CA

February 2003

SEP 22, 2006 10:55 AM

Below is a picture of Sumner Redstone, age 83, Chairman (and largest individual shareholder) of Viacom, owner of MTV. I think all of you Guitar Hero nerds can now rest easy in the knowledge that your favorite app is in good hands. I understand that MTV is close to signing a cross-promotional deal between Guitar Hero and Depends.