I said I’d post my thoughts on MTV buying up Harmonix but I’ve been sort of uncertain what to think. Joystiq has a bit of info along with a link to the official Harmonix press release.
As my constant readers know, I’m a huge fan of Harmonix. Their games are some of my favorites - I love video games and music, and their games are awesome combinations of the two. I can’t wait for Guitar Hero 2, it’s gonna be awesome.
What I didn’t mention on the blog was that my job search lead me to go talk to the folks at Harmonix. They were a great group of people and it was totally awesome to get to hang out there for a bit. But ultimately there were more things pulling me to LucasArts so I made the decision to come out to California instead.
Now I’m all curious what things will be like there now that they’re owned. MTV today reminds me of something from the movie Reality Bites. Ben Stiller’s character works at a TV series that, as they say in the movie is “MTV, but with an edge!” It’s a totally over-the-top parody of MTV, with ridiculous attempts at being hip and understanding current fashion and trends. Sadly, MTV today is like that. It’s almost a parody of itself in the good old days.
So. This is the company that bought Harmonix - a company of independent free spirits who just want to make music and make good games is now owned by the ultimate wannabes. There are a couple of things that could happen. Ideally, the execs over at MTV know they have a good thing going and won’t mess with the internals at Harmonix. They’ll let those bright folks continue to make their games the way they know how to, just now with lots more corporate tie-ins of some sort. Worst case they’ll send people over to mess with it and kill everything that makes Harmonix special. Oh, I’m hope hope hoping for the former. Not only do I love their games, I have some friends that work there, and I only wish the best for them.