Viacom is fighting an order to pay Rock Band makers Harmonix Music Systems $US383 million, or a bit more than half of the money sought by the former shareholders in a long-running legal dispute over unpaid bonuses.
Honestly, this interview — by Alex Navarro, ex-Harmonix employee — is one of the best I’ve ever read and absolutely deserves to be read in full. In this wide ranging interview with his former employers they discuss the past and future of Harmonix and Rock Band, and broach the subject of the relationship with Activision and Bobby Kotick.
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.
When Viacom said vaya con dios to Rock Band and its studio, Harmonix, the price of sale was $US49.99. Actual retail price of the tax writeoff they got to take? $US115 million, with about half of that returned this year as a cash refund on past taxes. [Gamasutra]
Two communications today from Xfire, the social networking tool for PC gamers, indicate that the service has been sold off and most of its development team will be leaving as a result. Details other than that are sparse.
Viacom President and CEO Philippe Dauman officially outed Rock Band 3, due for release this Chrismas, when it will “will innovate and revolutionise the music genre” all over again.
