The developers of Rock Band and the recently released Kinect game, Dance Central, are being sold by Viacom. Viacom made the announcement earlier today in a quarter finance results briefing, in which they explained the decision to part ways with Harmonix. Profits for Viacom have plunged by 59% and Harmonix’s products are responsible for some of the decline.
Harmonix dropped off this statement in their Rock Band Forums:
This morning’s announcement does not affect the ongoing work at the studio as we continue to support our existing franchises, Rock Band and Dance Central. As stated earlier, Viacom is in discussions with several potential buyers and will continue to fully support the business until a sale is completed.
Two things about this statement. Great that they will continue to show support for their current titles. And secondly, who are these “potential buyers”? Harmonix already has a publishing deal with EA (Electronic Arts) for the Rock Band games, so maybe EA will scoop them up. I’ve been seeing some folks throw out Activision’s name out, but don’t see how that would mesh together with Guitar Hero’s development team.
What publisher would be best for Harmonix? Let me know.
