Kotaku: Harmonix

The Makers of Rock Band Just Rickroll'd Us All

Kirk Hamilton — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST

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We're no strangers… More »

Check Out This Ex-Game Developer's Terrific Photos of Cops

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:15:00 EST

Antonio Bolfo was an animator at Harmonix, working on video games such as Guitar Hero. Then, with the legacy of September 11 on his mind, he joined the New York Police Department. He started bringing a camera along and snapped photos of the police at work. And then he left the force and made photography his main gig. More »

Dance Central Mobile App Encourage Impromptu Dance Battles

Mike Fahey — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:45:00 EST

Available today on iTunes, the Android Market, and wherever it is Windows Phone 7 users get their apps, Dance Central 2 Dance*Cam encourages fans to record their dance routines via mobile phone and upload them for friends to judge. I'll pass! More »

On Playing Dance Central 2 While Male

Kirk Hamilton — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST

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Recently my friend, who for this article we'll call "Dan," was over at my apartment for beers and video games. We'd gone through most of the big fall releases—I showed him some craziness from Saints Row: The Third, got across the gist of Catherine, and played some (shockingly fun) split-screen Modern Warfare 3 spec-ops. The Kinect had gotten a go as well, and we'd laughed our way through several levels of Gunstringer and gotten our asses kicked by the surprisingly difficult Child of Eden. More »

A Rock Band-Style Game for the Blind

Kirk Hamilton — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST

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Music isn't a visual art-form, and many amazing musicians, from Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles to Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Roul Midón have created incredible sounds despite (or possibly even enhanced by) their inability to see. More »

Rock Band Now Has a Twenty-Minute Song

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:00:00 EST

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Because Rock Band's existing library just isn't punishing enough, Harmonix will be releasing Rush's epic 2112 as downloadable content for the game over the next week. More »

Viacom Ordered to Pay $383 Million to Rock Band Makers

Brian Crecente — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST

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Viacom is fighting an order to pay Rock Band makers Harmonix Music Systems $383 million, or a bit more than half of the money sought by the former shareholders in a long-running legal dispute over unpaid bonuses. More »

Rock Band: The Untold Story of Robot Goat Legs

Mike Fahey — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:20:00 EST

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In October of 2007, Rock Band hit rock bottom, crashing its car into a tree in an alcohol-soaked haze. It was then it knew it had to turn things around. On November 20, 2007, Harmonix introduced it to the world and changed everything. More »

Harmonix Isn't Doing Too Bad (For Not Making Shooters)

Owen Good — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EDT

A couple of weeks ago, Dance Central and Rock Band studio Harmonix was being advised—by someone from the company that sold it off—to make "the world's first immersive shoot-'em-up," using Kinect. Today, the firm reported it is doing juuuuust fine by sticking to the rhythm genre. More »

Harmonix Should Make a Shooter, Says Expert

Owen Good — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:40:00 EDT

Fast Company, the business magazine read by movers and/or shakers, uncorked some outside-the-box advice for companies stuck in a rut. Harmonix Music Systems is on the list, it seems, because of stagnation in the music gaming genre, not necessarily because it's spinning its wheels, but whatever. They are being advised to make, wait for it, a shooter. More »

Microsoft Takes a Shot at the Wii in Their Newest Dance Central 2 Ad

Kirk Hamilton — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EDT

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I've never totally gotten the appeal of Wii dancing games, though clearly there are a whole ton of Just Dance fans out there who disagree. This new ad for Harmonix's just-released Dance Central 2 takes a humorous dig at Wii games, and their obsolescence in the face of full motion-tracking. More »

Harmonix's VidRhythm Adds Support For User-Generated Content; Animal-Lovers Rejoice

Kirk Hamilton — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EDT

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Hopefully all you iOS users have had a chance to play around with Rock Band edveloper Harmonix's goofy new music-type app-thing VidRhythm. If you haven't, I recommend giving it a go. More »

The $131 Million Rock Band Lawsuit

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:15:00 EDT

Last year, Harmonix shareholders sued the Rock Band developer's former owner Viacom for a ton of money. This week? Viacom sues them back. I am rubber, you are glue, etc etc. More »

Make Your Own Awesomely Terrible (Or Just Plain Awesome) Music Videos With VidRhythm

Kirk Hamilton — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EDT

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VidRhythm isn't a game per se; it's an app that allows users to quickly assemble custom-made music videos. But given that it's made by Harmonix, the creators of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, we're gonna go ahead and call it a game just so we can write about it. One of my favorite things about the Rock Band games was how it allowed musicians and non-musicians alike to share music in a new way. There was nothing quite like sitting down with my non-musician friends and sharing music in a new way. VidRhythm offers an evolution of that same inclusive spirit, and opens musical performance up to an ever greater audience. More »

Rock Band 3 Has A New Publisher—Mad Catz!

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:40:00 EDT

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Harmonix's rock solid 2010 rock 'n' roll game Rock Band 3 will be re-released later this year under the guidance of a new publisher, Mad Catz. That's right. The people who make Rock Band guitar and keyboard controllers are now publishing the game. More »

Dust Off Those Rock Band Instruments for a Five-Pack of Yes

Mike Fahey — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:20:00 EDT

I've not been giving much consideration to Rock Band's new music releases, what with the franchise skipping a year and interest in the rhythm genre waning in general. It turns out all Harmonix had to do to get my attention was say Yes. More »

So Dance Central Is the Kinect Game (Even in Japan)

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT

Dance Central Is *the* Kinect Game (Even in Japan)" alt="Click here to read So Dance Central Is *the* Kinect Game (Even in Japan)" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/07/small_20110715_460928.jpg"/>

Gotta Dance | TOKYO, JAPAN: Microsoft showed off the game this week at a Tokyo health club. (Photo: Game Watch Impress)

Rock Band and Dance Central Creators Getting Down to Vidrhythm

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:20:00 EDT

Harmonix recently trademarked Vidrhythm, which as it turns out is one of the Rock Band and Dance Central developer's new projects. I'm guessing "rhythm game" and "occasionally confused with that new, weird Final Fantasy music game." More »

Dance Central Returns with Two Player Dance Battles

Mike Fahey — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:13:04 EDT

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Harmonix took the stage during Microsoft's 2011 E3 press conference today to lift the curtain on Dance Central 2, detailing some of the new features coming in the follow-up to the popular Kinect-powered body mover. It's time for a dance off! More »

One Year Later, Did Microsoft Keep Their E3 2010 Promises?

Mike Epstein — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:00:00 EDT

Can you believe the hype you hear from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo at each year's big E3 circus of video games? Year after year, the big three make promises about their consoles and their games. Do they deliver? More »

There Will Be No Rock Band 4 This Year, But There Will Be More Lady Gaga and Ozzy

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:00:00 EDT

Rock Band 4 This Year, But There Will Be More Lady Gaga and Ozzy" alt="Click here to read There Will Be No Rock Band 4 This Year, But There Will Be More Lady Gaga and Ozzy" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/05/small_no_rock_band_4.jpg"/>

Guitar Hero publisher Activision has already announced its intentions to take a breather from the music game genre in 2011, now it appears that the Rock Band team will cool its heels as well. But there's some good news for Rock Band 3 owners. More »

Viacom Got a Smidge More Than $49.99 for Selling Rock Band Studio

Owen Good — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:30:00 EDT

When Viacom said vaya con dios to Rock Band and its studio, Harmonix, the price of sale was $49.99. Actual retail price of the tax writeoff they got to take? $115 million, with about half of that returned this year as a cash refund on past taxes. [Gamasutra] More »

Rock Band 3 Now Priced To Move

Mike Fahey — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:40:00 EDT

Harmonix and publishing partner EA today announced that the third and best installment of the Rock Band series is now available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii for the low, low price of $19.99. More »

If All Music Games Were Mixed Into One Title

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:15:00 EDT

Artist Ken Taya, who's currently at 5th Cell, debuted his last creation at Giant Robot's Game Over 4. More here at his blog. More »

Guitar Hero's Most Challenging Track Debuts In Rock Band 3

Mike Fahey — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:17:11 EDT

With the death of Guitar Hero, the song that launched a thousand YouTube videos makes the leap to Rock Band 3. DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames" hits on March 29, with Pro Guitar and Pro Bass support. Ouch. More »

The Creators Of Guitar Hero 'Sad To Hear' Of Its Demise

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:40:00 EST

Even though their biggest competitor in the rhythm video game genre is now essentially dead, the people who started the Guitar Hero franchise say they were saddened to hear that Activision had put the seminal music game to sleep. More »

These Might Be The Great New Features of Dance Central 2

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST

Dance Central, arguably the most killer of apps for Microsoft's Kinect controller, is bound for a sequel. What will developer Harmonix bring to the follow-up? Potentially a very long list of improvements, based on an early survey. More »

Rock Band Network Has Its Plug Pulled On Wii

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:00:00 EST

Wii owners, there will be no more Rock Band Network songs for you after January 18. Rock Band developer Harmonix said today that it will no longer be supporting Nintendo's console with new releases. More »

A Demo Of Rock Band 3's Guitar Adapter & A Mad Catz Apology

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:00:00 EST

The hardware that can turn real instruments, from guitars to drums to keyboards, into Rock Band 3 controllers arrived a little later than some rhythm game fans were hoping for. And Mad Catz is sorry about that. More »

Rock Band Rocks Harder With Real Guitars

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:30:00 EST

I haven't played guitar since university, and haven't done science since high school, so the particulars of this are lost on me. What I do know, though, is that rigging up a real electric guitar to play Rock Band is awesome. More »

Rock Band Developer Sold For The Price Of A Copy Of Rock Band 3

Mike Fahey — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST

A copy of the disc-only version of Rock Band 3 currently sells for $49.99 at GameStop. According to The Wall Street Journal's sources, that's exactly how much investment group Columbus Nova paid to take Harmonix off Viacom's hands. More »

Rock Band 3 Rings In 2011 With The Man In Black, Old Tracks

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST

One of your resolutions for 2011 should probably be "play more Rock Band 3." Harmonix is encouraging that kind of behavior with a long list of new additions to its full band music game, including an injection of Johnny Cash. More »

He Kept His Faith In Music Games This Year — And In Kinect

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Greg LoPiccolo didn't have to leave his office in a brick building near Boston this year to see how two of the biggest trends in the last half-decade of video games were playing out. There were doubters outside. Inside? More »

Rock Band Creators Gone From MTV, Taking Hits With Them

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST

The people who make Rock Band and the breakout Kinect dancing game Dance Central have been sold by MTV's parent company Viacom. But they can keep making sequels to those series, if they want to. More »

Rock Band Creators Suing For A Cut Of The Rock Band Money

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:00:00 EST

A group of former shareholders in Rock Band developers Harmonix - including company CEO Alex Rigopulos and his co-founder Eran Egozy - are suing parent company Viacom, amid claims massive bonus payments are being avoided. More »

Rock Band Is Coming Down With Pac-Man Fever In 2011

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST

Truly terrible arcade-inspired album Pac-Man Fever is coming to Rock Band Network next year, letting Rock Band owners relive the 1982 Buckner & Garcia classic from the comfort of their plastic instruments. More »

A Double Dose Of Queen For Rock Band 3

Mike Fahey — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:40:00 EST

Including a new instrument and pro modes in Rock Band 3 means Harmonix gets to release updated old music along with the new stuff, as is the case with next week's 13 songs from classic rock group Queen. More »

The Music Game Is Dead (Long Live The Music Game?)

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

There once was a time when music games were the biggest - and in some cases best - thing to happen to the video game industry. Oh, how those times have changed. More »

Rock Band Will Still Be Rock Band After Harmonix is Sold

Brian Crecente — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST

Viacom, like any good media conglomerate, loves big bottom lines... and it cannot lie, you other investors can't deny that when a subsidiary walks in with itty bitty net earnings you've got to sell it... More »

MTV Owners Plan to Ditch Rock Band Creators

Brian Crecente — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:28:09 EST

Viacom today said they plan to sell the company behind Rock Band, Kinect's Dance Central and the original Guitar Hero. More »