Harmonix Music Systems
Encyclopedia
Harmonix Music Systems is an American video game development company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is known for its many music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...

s.

Harmonix is perhaps best known as being the developer of Dance Central
Dance Central
Dance Central is a music video game for the Xbox 360 that utilizes the Kinect motion peripheral. The game was developed by Harmonix, creators of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, and is a launch title for Kinect...

 and Rock Band, as well as being the original developer of the Guitar Hero series before development moved to Neversoft
Neversoft
Neversoft Entertainment is an American video game developer, founded in 1994 by Joel Jewett, Mick West and Chris Ward. Neversoft is best recognized for their line of Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk skateboarding games, known as the Tony Hawk's series...

 and Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions is an American video game developer founded by the high school brothers Karthik and Guha Bala in 1990, which developed some PC and Game Boy Color games in late 90's and 2000. They later developed Terminus, which won two Independent Games Festival Awards in 1999...

.

Formation

Harmonix was founded in 1995 by Alex Rigopulos
Alex Rigopulos
Alexander Peter "Alex" Rigopulos is the CEO of Harmonix Music Systems, a company he founded with Eran Egozy in 1995. Rigopulos personally cites Japanese game designers Masaya Matsuura, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, and Keita Takahashi as some artists that have inspired his work at Harmonix...

 and Eran Egozy
Eran Egozy
Eran Egozy is the Chief Technical Officer and VP of Engineering of Harmonix Music Systems, a company he founded with Alex Rigopulos in 1995.-Personal:Eran is a native of Israel. He moved to Lexington, MA at the age of 12, from Israel...

 who met while attending MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

. Egozy was an electrical/computer engineer with an interest in music, while Rigopulos was a music composition major with an interest in programming; both met while working in the MIT Media Lab
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a laboratory of MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Devoted to research projects at the convergence of design, multimedia and technology, the Media Lab has been widely popularized since the 1990s by business and technology publications such as Wired and Red Herring for a...

. After seeing a computer music generation system that could algorithmically create music on the fly, the two considered how one could use a joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...

 to control the system, and set up a demonstration of the unit for the Lab, which gained interest from others in the Lab. The two realized that after graduation they would not be able to construct such niche systems in the industry, and chose to start their own company. The company was built on the premise that the experience of performing music could become accessible to those who would otherwise have trouble learning a traditional instrument.

The company was funded with about $100,000, and for the first five years, had nearly zero revenue. The company's earliest product was The Axe: Titans of Classic Rock on PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

 CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....

. The Axe enabled consumers to easily perform unique instrumental solos by using a PC joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...

. This product only sold about 300 copies, with Rigopulos and Egozy realizing that people, while initially entranced by the game, lost interest after 15 minutes of playing with it. Harmonix then designed "CamJam", which performed similar functions, this time using simple body gestures to trigger music sequences. CamJam was utilized at Disney theme parks. This led the two consider approaching entertainment businesses like Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Each D&B has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of July 1, 2009, the company had 57 locations across the United States and two in Canada. The company also licenses the D&B concept...

 to include their products, but they soon realized that this would be a year to a year-and-a-half effort, too long for their needs. They then considered the entertainment industry in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, where in 1997, was taking off with the introduction of karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...

 bars and music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...

s such as PaRappa the Rapper
PaRappa the Rapper
is a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....

, Beatmania
Beatmania
is a rhythm video game developed and distributed by Japanese game developer Konami and first released in 1997. It contributed largely to the boom of music games in 1998, and the series expanded not only with arcade sequels, but also moved to home consoles and other portable devices, achieving a...

, and Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...

. They attempted to sell their CamJam equipment to these entertainment centers but found little interest for it. They came to a realization that games like karaoke were popular not due through personal expression, but because they encouraged players to try to accurately recreate the songs through their actions. These games also focused on bringing musical experiences to gamers through simple, understandable interfaces commonly found in games. With this realization, the two returned to the United States and regrouped their company as a video game developer, though they had to let about 40% of their current staff go.

Early titles

Harmonix' first major video game was FreQuency
FreQuency
Frequency is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by SCEI. It is the first major release from Harmonix. It was released in November 2001. A sequel titled Amplitude was released in 2003.-Gameplay:...

, with its development funded by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...

 along with about $2 million in investments in the company. A key factor of Harmonix' contract with Sony was that it was allowed to keep its intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...

, which allowed for Harmonix to build on the game for its future endeavours. The game's development began in 1999, backed by a larger team at Harmonix, many of whom were musicians. Featuring songs by a number of underground electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 artists, FreQuency allowed players to perform and remix a variety of music. The game was backed by SCEA
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...

 Vice President of Product Development, Shuhei Yoshida
Shuhei Yoshida
Shuhei Yoshida is appointed senior vice president, product development, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and is responsible for all software development activities . Yoshida is among those responsible for the creation of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s 170-person internal product development team...

. Released in 2001 on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

, FreQuency was critically acclaimed and won numerous awards, though it failed to become a mainstream success. Harmonix developed a sequel to FreQuency, Amplitude, released in 2003. Several changes were made from its predecessor to broaden the game's appeal, from gameplay tweaks to a more mainstream soundtrack. And again, Amplitude achieved awards, critical praise, and a small cult following, but it was not a financial hit. The two attributed the poor response to the games due in part to the lack of a mainstream soundtrack and that the gameplay was difficult to connect to if one was not playing the game.

After Amplitude, Harmonix was approached by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...

 to create the Karaoke Revolution
Karaoke Revolution
Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...

franchise. Konami, known for their Bemani
Bemani
is Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division, or simply G.M.D., it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, Beatmania, and expanded into other music-based games.-Bemani video games:...

 line of music games, wanted to distribute their games in the United States, and Harmonix was the only music game developer in the country at the time. Konami was responsible for publishing the Karaoke Revolution titles, of which Harmonix developed and released three "volumes" between 2003 and 2004. The series was much more successful due to its mainstream music and its marketability.

Also in 2004, Sony Computer Entertainment released the Harmonix project EyeToy: AntiGrav
EyeToy: AntiGrav
EyeToy: AntiGrav is a hoverboard game by Sony, released in early November 2004. It was touted as the first "real" game for EyeToy targeted to more seasoned gamers. The earlier games such as Play and Groove were geared towards younger kids for family or party fun. Unlike the earlier EyeToy games,...

. A departure from music games, the title used the PlayStation 2 EyeToy
EyeToy
The EyeToy is a color digital camera device, similar to a webcam, for the PlayStation 2. The technology uses computer vision and Gesture recognition to process images taken by the camera...

 camera peripheral to enable one's body to perform as a controller for a futuristic extreme sports game. However, the game was poorly received by critics, despite selling four times as many copies as FreQuency or Amplitude. These results left Rigopulos and Egozy depressed about the prospects for the company.

At this time, RedOctane
RedOctane
RedOctane was an American electronic entertainment company perhaps best known for producing the Guitar Hero series beginning in November 2005. RedOctane became a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision in 2006...

, a peripheral manufacturing company and who had enjoyed Harmonix' previous games, approached Harmonix about developing the software for a game that would be based on a guitar-shaped controller, inspired by the GuitarFreaks
GuitarFreaks
is a music video game series produced by Konami. The player uses a controller to simulate the playing of an electric guitar. The game consists of music predominantly from rock and roll and J-Pop genres, and is now in its 19th version, GuitarFreaks V8, which was released in March 28, 2011...

which was popular in Japan. This relationship led to the creation of Guitar Hero, published by RedOctane in 2005. The game features similar gameplay elements to FreQuency and Amplitude. Guitar Hero uses a guitar-shaped controller designed uniquely for the game. Specifically, the Guitar Hero controller was designed with five color-coded "fret" buttons and a "strum bar". Guitar Hero became largely successful, both critically and commercially, resulting in the well-received 2006 sequel Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...

, also developed by Harmonix.

Purchase by Viacom

In the early part of 2006, Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...

 acquired RedOctane, causing several publishers to become interested in acquiring Harmonix. In September 2006, MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...

, a division of media conglomerate
Media conglomerate
A media conglomerate, media group or media institution is a company that owns large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet...

 Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...

, announced that it was acquiring Harmonix on behalf of MTV for $175 million. Harmonix's last Guitar Hero game for RedOctane, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is a music video game and the third installment in the popular Guitar Hero series...

, was released in July 2007, thus fulfilling their contractual obligations with the publisher. Before they left the series, Harmonix had already envisioned expanding the gameplay of Guitar Hero to multiple instruments, a concept that would eventually lead to Rock Band that would develop under MTV. Shortly after the acquisition by MTV in December 2006, the initial discussion between Dhani Harrison
Dhani Harrison
Dhani Harrison is an English musician and the son of George Harrison of The Beatles and Olivia Harrison. Harrison debuted as a professional musician when completing his father's final album Brainwashed after George Harrison's death in November 2001...

, son of George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...

, and MTV President Van Toffler occurred that would eventually lead to meetings between Harmonix and Apple Corps, Ltd., leading to the creation of The Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using...

, though this was not publicly revealed until late 2008.

Harmonix released Rock Band in November 2007. As Harmonix's first game as a part of MTV, Rock Band expanded upon the design of Guitar Hero by incorporating three different peripherals: guitar/bass, microphone, and drums. Harmonix continued to support the game after its initial release by offering a variety of downloadable songs to PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 players on a weekly basis. As of December, 2008, over 500 songs have been made available as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...

, with over 28 million songs sold. Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...

, released on the PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360 in 2008, features improved instrument peripherals and updated features while still being compatible with all original Rock Band peripherals and downloadable songs.
In October 2008, Harmonix, along with MTV Games, announced an exclusive agreement with Apple Corps, Ltd. to produce a standalone title based on the Rock Band premise and featuring the music of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

, to be released late in 2009. The Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using...

features a visual and musical history of the Beatles, and includes 45 songs from their 1962-69 tenure with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

, using United Kingdom-released versions of their albums Please Please Me
Please Please Me
Please Please Me is the debut album by the English rock band The Beatles. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of singles "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do" .Of the album's fourteen songs, eight were written by Lennon–McCartney...

through Abbey Road. The developers have worked with Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

 and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...

 to gain input on the game, and are using Giles Martin
Giles Martin
Giles Martin is an English record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the son of Sir George Martin, famed producer of almost all of The Beatles' records.- Biography :...

, son of Sir George Martin who produced most of the Beatles albums, as music director for the game. Harmonix stated, despite building on the Rock Band gameplay, this will not be a Rock Band branded title, and that the songs will not be available as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...

 for the Rock Band series. The agreement had been in discussion for more than 17 months before the announcement.

In November 2008, Viacom paid Harmonix a $300 million bonus as part of the terms of the company's 2006 acquisition. The previous quarter's bonus was $150 million. In a 2009 survey of the best places to work in the Boston area, the Boston Globe ranked Harmonix as the 3rd best workplace overall, and the top mid-size business in its poll.

On December 10, 2009, Harmonix laid off 39 of its employees, primarily in the QA department.

Sale by Viacom

On November 11, 2010, Viacom stated that it was in talks with potential buyers for Harmonix, having already marked the unit as a discontinued operation to write off a $299 million loss for its 2010 third-quarter earnings statement. Such talks had been in place since September 2010, before the release of either Rock Band 3 or Dance Central. Viacom president and CEO, Philippe Dauman, stated the reason they were selling the company was to refocus Viacom as an entertainment creator, and that "the console games business requires expertise [Viacom doesn't] have". Viacom also recognized that without dedicated resources to support video game development, the company suffers from inefficiencies that video game publishers do not have. Martin Peers of the Wall Street Journal noted that Viacom lacked the physical distribution channels that other entertainment companies like Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...

 have, and instead were forced to rely on Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

 to distribute the game and cut into their potential profits. Industry analyst Michael Pachter suggested that while Rock Band 3 and Dance Central would generate significant revenue in 2010 holiday sales, Viacom likely made the move to sell Harmonix while the developers were doing well and in the news. Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

 CEO John Riccitiello, commenting on the potential purchase of Harmonix by his company, called Harmonix a "falling knife" in regards to the diminishing size of the rhythm game market since 2009, and stated that "more people have been cut trying to catch falling knives than have benefited from getting the timing exactly right". John Drake of Harmonix affirmed that Viacom will continue to support Harmonix until the sale is complete, and the developer will still continue their normal operations for their games which is unaffected by the sale.

In late December, Viacom announced that it had sold Harmonix to Harmonix-SBE Holdings LLC, an affiliate of investment firm Columbus Nova, LLC; the terms of the sale were undisclosed, though estimated at $200 million. This sale to shareholders of Harmonix, backed by the investment firm, returned Harmonix to an independent developer. The resulting sale will not affect current and future support plans for Harmonix' games; the sales includes the intellectual property rights for Rock Band and Dance Central, letting Harmonix Music Systems to continue to develop these series. According to Peter Kafka of the Wall Street Journal, the sale of Harmonix to Columbus Nova was heavily discounted, possibly as low as fifty dollars, the equivalent of a fire sale
Fire sale
A fire sale is the sale of goods at extremely discounted prices, typically when the seller faces bankruptcy or other impending distress. The term may originally have been based on the sale of goods at a heavy discount due to fire damage...

 and allowing Viacom to claim certain tax benefits; meanwhile, Columbus Nova would assume all ongoing liability for Harmonix' projects, including music licensing fees and unsold inventory. Viacom later affirmed that they received nearly $115 million in tax benefits from the Harmonix sale. In February 2011, MTV Games, a division of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 that had helped to publish Rock Band and Dance Central, was closed by Viacom, as Harmonix was the only client they provided publishing services for. Prior to its closer, MTV Games did converse with Columbus Nova and Harmonix to determine if they would be able to help publish future games in the European market, but no further deals were forthcoming. Following the purchase, Harmonix underwent a restructuring in February 2011, laying off about 12-15% of the 240-person staff. Shortly after this, Activision announced it was shuttering its Guitar Hero division and cancelling planned games for 2011, which many journalists considered to mark the end of the rhythm game genre; Harmonix's community manager, John Drake, in response to this closure, called the news "discouraging", but affirmed that Harmonix will continue to invest itself in further Rock Band and Dance Central developments for the foreseeable future.

While Viacom sought a buyer for Harmonix, shareholders of Harmonix, including founders Rigopulos and Egozy, filed a lawsuit against Viacom, alleging misconduct in providing performance payouts in line with the terms of the purchase of Harmonix by Viacom. Harmonix' suit contests that while Viacom had paid Harmonix $150 million for success of the Rock Band series in 2007, the shareholders are due a substantially larger sum for continued success in 2008, as determined by their proxy, Walter Winshall. Viacom countered the claims, stating that Winshall rejected various offers made by Viacom for the payout. The lawsuit also contends that Viacom has withheld $13 million in payouts from 2007, which Viacom had claimed at the time were to cover potential losses in patent lawsuits that were initiated against Harmonix by Activision and Gibson which have since been settled out of court. Viacom has stated it will "vigorously" defend itself in this lawsuit, and initiated a counter-suit in September 2011, suing Harmonix for $131 million believing the $150 million payout was overcalculated.

As an independent developer

Approximately 6 to 9 months after its sale from Viacom, Harmonix started to grow again, boosted by sales of Dance Central which led to the development of its sequel Dance Central 2
Dance Central 2
Dance Central 2 is a dance video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems for the Xbox 360 Kinect. The game is the sequel to Dance Central. Dance Central 2 was officially announced at E3 2011 during Microsoft's press conference.-Gameplay:...

in late 2011. By mid-2011, the company began developing new IP in both the mobile and social game markets, and began rehiring to aid in the development of these games. Continued support of the Rock Band franchise has remained a "meaningful source of profitability" to Harmonix through 2011, according to Rigopulos. Bloomberg
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...

 projects that Harmonix will post $100 million in profit in 2011, based on sales of Dance Central and continued downloadable content for the game.

Employee bands

Due to the nature of titles developed by Harmonix, a large percentage of staff members and alumni are well known in the Boston and US music scene. These include:

Current members

  • Ben Carr, manager and official Bosstone of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
    The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
    The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...

  • Sean Roche, member of the band Freezepop (also, Kasson Crooker
    Kasson Crooker
    Kasson Crooker is an American electronic musician, composer, and the artist behind Symbion Project, his solo moniker. He also works collaboratively in The Planets Won't Let You Sleep Tonight and his past bands are Freezepop, Splashdown, Larkspur, and Sirensong...

     is a former member).
  • Jason Kendall
    Jason "King" Kendall
    Jason "King" Kendall is an American vocalist and videogame designer associated with two bands from Providence, Rhode Island. An online zine published by his employer Harmonix Music Systems refers to Kendall as a "local legend."-Early career:Kendall was a member of the Amazing Royal Crowns...

    , lead singer of the band The Amazing Crowns
    Amazing Crowns
    The Amazing Crowns are a rockabilly band that began in Providence, Rhode Island in 1994. It was composed of vocalist Jason "King" Kendall, bassist Jack "the Swinger" Hanlon, guitarist J.D...

    .
  • Daniel Sussman, member of The Acro-Brats
    The Acro-Brats
    "The Acro-Brats" are a Punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002. They released their first album, Kicking & Screaming in 2003 and their second, ...Go Down Swinging! in 2006. Their song "Callout" was featured as a bonus song in Guitar Hero. Also, their song "Laughtrack" was a bonus...

    .
  • Eric Brosius
    Eric Brosius
    Eric Brosius is a musician and video game developer, and a former employee of Looking Glass Studios. He is a former member of the band Tribe, and is married to Terri Brosius, also a former Looking Glass employee and Tribe member....

    , former member of Tribe
    Tribe (band)
    Tribe was an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts which was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They released three albums, two on Slash Records/Warner Bros...

     and current members of The Vivs.
  • Greg LoPiccolo, former bass player/lyricist for Tribe
    Tribe (band)
    Tribe was an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts which was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They released three albums, two on Slash Records/Warner Bros...

    .
  • Dan Schmidt, vocalist and guitarist in Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives.
  • Helen McWilliams, member of Tijuana Sweetheart
    Tijuana Sweetheart
    Tijuana Sweetheart is an American all-female punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band was initially formed in 2005 by four employees of the gaming company Harmonix after Helen McWilliams sent around an email to the entire company...

    .
  • Izzy "Sparks" Maxwell, member of Count Zero and Death of the Cool.
  • Naoko Takamoto, also known as Plural and a member of That Handsome Devil
    That Handsome Devil
    That Handsome Devil is an American rock band hailing from Brooklyn, New York, by way of Boston, Massachusetts.The band mixes genres such as rock, funk, jazz, jive, blues, surf, R&B, reggae, rockabilly, rap, and psychedelic. Their sound has also been described as "equal parts Screamin’ Jay Hawkins,...

    .
  • Ryan Lesser, Jason Kendall
    Jason "King" Kendall
    Jason "King" Kendall is an American vocalist and videogame designer associated with two bands from Providence, Rhode Island. An online zine published by his employer Harmonix Music Systems refers to Kendall as a "local legend."-Early career:Kendall was a member of the Amazing Royal Crowns...

    , Brian Gibson
    Brian Gibson (musician)
    Brian Gibson is a musician and artist based out of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Gibson is best known as the bassist for the band Lightning Bolt, alongside drummer and vocalist Brian Chippendale, and as the drummer of Wizardzz, with Rich Porter of Bug Sized Mind, and Megasus. Gibson...

     and Paul Lyons, members of Megasus
    Megasus
    Megasus is a heavy metal band formed in Providence, Rhode Island in 2006.-General info and history:Megasus is a heavy metal band, formed by members of Lightning Bolt and Loon, and ex-members of Amazing Royal Crowns and Laurels...

    .
  • Brian Gibson
    Brian Gibson (musician)
    Brian Gibson is a musician and artist based out of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Gibson is best known as the bassist for the band Lightning Bolt, alongside drummer and vocalist Brian Chippendale, and as the drummer of Wizardzz, with Rich Porter of Bug Sized Mind, and Megasus. Gibson...

     of Lightning Bolt and Megasus.
  • Ryan Lesser
    Ryan Lesser
    Ryan Lesser is a video game designer, musician and graphic artist living in Providence, Rhode Island. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, he is best known for his design work on influential video games Karaoke Revolution and Guitar Hero....

    , Dare Matheson, Matt Gilpin, and Jason Warburg, members of The Gert Jonnys.
  • Chris Foster, member of Speck.
  • Pete Maguire, is a member of inter:sect and Death of the Cool.
  • Dan Brakeley, Mike Fitzgerald, and John Eskew, members of Father Octopus.
  • Geoff Pitsch, member of Death of the Cool and Father Octopus
  • Aaron DeMuth, member of Libyans.
  • Jeff Allen, part of Breaking Wheel (Artillery in Guitar Hero) and Death of the Cool
  • Adam Arrigo, John Drake, Jon Carter, Matt Boch and Matthew Levitt, members of Blanks. and The Main Drag
  • Emeen Zarookian, frontman for Spirit Kid and former bassist in The Sterns
    The Sterns
    The Sterns are a band from Boston, Massachusetts. Their songwriting and performances are often compared with bands such as The Smiths, Squeeze, The English Beat, and XTC. The band members were previously members of the popular American Ska bands, Mass. Hysteria and Westbound Train...

  • Kurt Davis, frontman for The Konks
    The Konks
    The Konks was an American rock and roll band, based in Boston, Massachusetts. They released their self-titled debut album in March 2005, with Bomp! Records. The band was later signed to Static Eye Records and released their second album Nerves in early 2010...

  • Peter Moore, singer and guitarist of Count Zero
  • Adam Cardoza, co-vocalist and drummer for DnA's Evolution
  • Jason Arnone, former member of You Shriek
  • David Plante, Joe Kelly, Bill Whitney, Steve Pardo, Greg Capolino, Chris Lynch, members of Bismüth.
  • Kat Burke, member of Alchemilla
  • Damian Boyar, member of The Cold Goodnight
  • Steve Pardo and Jonathan Pardo, members of Hound Dog, Hello Ghost, and The Steve and Lindley Band
  • Caleb Wheeler, Daniel Chace, and Phillip Hunt, members of Giant Target
    Giant Target
    Giant Target is a band formed in 2009 in Cambridge, Massachusetts featuring Aaron Price on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Caleb Wheeler on drums and backup vocals, Daniel Chace on bass and backup vocals, and Phillip Hunt on lead guitar. The four band members met and formed Giant Target as employees...

  • Ben Currier, Alex Gold, Joe Kelly, and Jonathan Rubinger, members of Super Cousin.
  • Bill Whitney, guitar/trumpet for Milquetoast & Co, former bassist for Apathetiq and Debris.
  • Dave Plante, Naoko Takamoto, Steve Pardo, Jonathan Rubinger, Chris Wilson, Bill Whitney and Chris Rando, members of The Ward Eights

Ex-Employee Bands

  • Bryn Bennett, co-founder and lead guitarist in Bang Camaro
    Bang Camaro
    Bang Camaro is an American hard rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by guitarists Bryn Bennett and Alex Necochea in 2005, it is composed of members of various indie rock bands from the area...

  • Keith Smith, singer/ guitarist for Anarchy Club
    Anarchy Club
    Anarchy Club is a hard rock/electronica duo from Boston, Massachusetts. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Keith Smith, who is a former member of the band C60, and Adam von Buhler, who plays guitar , bass, drums, and other instruments, and is a former member of the band...

    , and former singer for C60.
  • Phil Beaudreau and Johannes "Rash" Raasina, members of the band Shaimus
    Shaimus
    Shaimus is an alternative rock band that formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 2004. They are best known for their songs "All of This" and "Like a Fool," which appeared in Guitar Hero and Rock Band 2, respectively...

    .
  • Mallika Sundaramurthy, vocalist of Abnormality
  • Scott Sinclair, member of the Model Sons.
  • Jeremy Parker, member of Verse Verse Chorus
  • Chris Lynch, bass player of The Chrome Dreams and Choo Choo la Rouge

Games

  • Frequency (2001)
  • Amplitude (2003)
  • Karaoke Revolution
    Karaoke Revolution
    Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...

    (2003)
  • Karaoke Revolution Vol. 2
    Karaoke Revolution
    Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...

    (2004)
  • Karaoke Revolution Vol. 3
    Karaoke Revolution
    Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...

    (2004)
  • EyeToy: AntiGrav
    EyeToy: AntiGrav
    EyeToy: AntiGrav is a hoverboard game by Sony, released in early November 2004. It was touted as the first "real" game for EyeToy targeted to more seasoned gamers. The earlier games such as Play and Groove were geared towards younger kids for family or party fun. Unlike the earlier EyeToy games,...

    (2004)
  • Karaoke Revolution Party
    Karaoke Revolution
    Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...

    (2005)
  • Guitar Hero (2005)
  • CMT Presents: Karaoke Revolution Country
    Karaoke Revolution
    Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...

    (2006)
  • Guitar Hero II
    Guitar Hero II
    Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...

    (2006)
  • Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
    Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
    Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is a music video game and the third installment in the popular Guitar Hero series...

    (2007)
  • Phase
    Phase (game)
    Phase is a music-themed iPod game created by Harmonix exclusively for the iPod click wheel interface. It is similar to other Harmonix games Amplitude and FreQuency.- Gameplay :...

    (2007)
  • Rock Band (2007)
  • Rock Band 2
    Rock Band 2
    Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...

    (2008)
  • Rock Band Unplugged
    Rock Band Unplugged
    Rock Band Unplugged is an expansion of the Rock Band series of music video games released for the PlayStation Portable. The game is developed by Backbone Entertainment in conjunction with Harmonix Music Systems and is distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts...

    (2009)
  • The Beatles: Rock Band
    The Beatles: Rock Band
    The Beatles: Rock Band is a 2009 music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the third major console release in the Rock Band music video game series, in which players can simulate the playing of rock music by using...

    (2009)
  • Lego Rock Band
    Lego Rock Band
    Lego Rock Band is a music video game and part of the Rock Band series developed by Harmonix Music Systems, but also incorporates elements from other Lego video games as developed by Traveller's Tales. The game is published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games...

    (2009)
  • Rock Band: Mobile (2009)
  • Green Day: Rock Band
    Green Day: Rock Band
    Green Day: Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is the fifth major console release in the Rock Band music video game series and, like other games in the series, it allows players to simulate the playing of...

    (2010)
  • Rock Band 3
    Rock Band 3
    Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...

    (2010)
  • Dance Central
    Dance Central
    Dance Central is a music video game for the Xbox 360 that utilizes the Kinect motion peripheral. The game was developed by Harmonix, creators of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, and is a launch title for Kinect...

    (2010)
  • Dance Central 2
    Dance Central 2
    Dance Central 2 is a dance video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems for the Xbox 360 Kinect. The game is the sequel to Dance Central. Dance Central 2 was officially announced at E3 2011 during Microsoft's press conference.-Gameplay:...

    (2011)
  • Vidrhythm (2011)
  • Untitled Nintendo 3DS
    Nintendo 3DS
    The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...

     project
    (TBA)
  • Untitled PlayStation Vita project (TBA)

Patents portfolio

Harmonix has assembled a modest IP
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...

portfolio, which includes:

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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