The keynote presentation at DICE 2010 by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick started as an argument for why he got into video games in the first place, but he spent several minutes addressing various mistakes he's made at the company, including the decision to not purchase Harmonix.
"When we were buying Guitar Hero and buying RedOctane, the makers of Guitar Hero, we knew about Harmonix," said Kotick. "We had always known them as sort of a somewhat failed developer of music games. They always had really good ideas, but nothing that was really commercially viable until Guitar Hero and at first we thought, 'okay, it's a good piece of software, but if we gave it to Neversoft, they're going to knock the ball out of the park with this.'"
Neversoft ended up developing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, which catapulted the Guitar Hero franchise into the stratosphere, while Harmonix went on to produce Rock Band.
"We really didn't even think 'hey, we should go to Boston and meet these Harmonix guys and see what they're up to," said Kotick. "And of course, had we gone, I think the world of Guitar Hero would have been rewritten and it would be a lot different today and probably a profitable opportunity for both of us and an opportunity where you'd have even more innovation in the category."
Kotick's reflection almost came across as an apology to Harmonix (and perhaps dismissive of what Neversoft ultimately did with the Guitar Hero franchise). It's very likely Harmonix founder Alex Rigopulos was in the audience here at DICE. The financials of the music games business have fallen substantially following the Rock Band and Guitar Hero explosion a few years back.
"A lot of times when you get caught up in a lot of the financial details of the business," admitted Kotick, "it sometimes makes you overlook what's really important, which is who's passionate, who's committed, who's inspired, where's the next great idea going to come from."
It's almost like an episode of Lost. What would have happened if Harmonix stayed on Guitar Hero?
Comments
Displaying 1–19 of 19
Ferrence
The way Kotick was talking it didn't seem like he wanted more money, it seems like he wanted to make a better game. I'm definitely behind him on this one. When the games were first released they all had something to prove and had to grab and audience and start from scratch, and then after they had that fan base, it's been getting less innovative and more about making money, adding new songs, and stuff like that. Kotick seems sincere in his wanting to improve the games and I applaud this speech.
Snicker60515
I could also care less about this. While Rock Band is a great franchise with innovative ideas, I still prefer Guitar Hero because the GAMER in me enjoys the challenge. I mean, what's fun about playing through a song on Hard or Expert and 5-starring it on the first try, which is what many of the songs are like in Rock Band. To me a music games appeal always comes down to the setlist and the challenge involved. Rock Band is very good, but there are a whole lot of songs in RB2 that I just don't want to play because I either don't like them or they're just too easy. I mainly play the 6-7 songs I have in DLC, which are still actually challenging. Where with Guitar Hero, I still play 2,3, World Tour, Metallica, Rocks the 80's because the challenge is still there for me. Guitar Hero 5 is an exceptional game IMO and I wish X-play would have given it a 5/5 but they seem to be in the camp who doesn't enjoy a difficult music game. It's everything a GH game should be except for one thing, it's too much like Rock Band in the challenge dept. and the setlist. But Activision still has my money, that's for sure!
MJH243
couldn't care less >>> could care less
#justsaying
Oinkness
The least I could say is, if Harmonix was in charge of Guitar Hero, it would be playable on HDTVs. Seriously, I gave away all of my guitar hero games because they just don't calibrate. Rock Band series (meaning, every rock band game) works perfectly on HDTVs.
gardner901
Guitar Hero 2, is still the best one they ever released
IXIELCHINGONIXI
thumbs up if you actually read the long as hell comment above...
BertSaxby
It's actually a GREAT thing they didn't. Competition folks. All we need is a music game monopoly. If music games are dead, it's because they have failed to broker enough fresh music titles. Repetition is what is killing the music games. Spice it up a little more, have a ten key guitar or something. Make note scroll speed customizable, have the option to play complex cords on the easier speeds. It's not that hard to come up with changes that would boost appeal. What is NOT acceptable is this tendency to put these crazy audio effects when you're in overdrive...I mean honestly, it's such a cave to RIAA who probably is afraid we're somehow sitting at home ripping audio tracks from the game. Guitar Hero tracks are horrible, they don't even sound like original artists. They are pretty good covers in a lot of cases but I don't like the GH series because of that. Rockband has a tendency to dump a bunch of B-sides and call it 'awesome new DLC'. They've both got serious issues and they need to get it corrected ASAP or the genre will totally die and all those plastic instruments will end up at the local electronics recycling day.
sarid
activision-blizzard ahh the company the loves to kill games...next they will kill wow by forcing everyone in the game to see ads of tony hawk or will have to buy plastic guitars to dps in raids....drums are for healing btw so preorder now healers!
SiK
Music games are dead to me
RockieOllie
I think he owes us all an apology for the music barrage for the past 2-3 years
Count_Giraffe
Hahahaha!!! Activision apologizing to Harmonix? Oh how the mighty fall.
EKG
"I am sorry I did not buy you and make tons of money, that is all I am sorry for. I could care less about making quality games. It is all about maximizing profits are milking franchises. Harmonix would have fit right in with the Guitar Hero Franchise. Oh well, we'll just milk Call of Duty and maybe even begin charging a subscription to play it. That will certainly make us a lot of money."
-Kotick Out
Metalstorm98
while it would have been better for activision i dont agree that there would be more innovation. Competition spurs innovation. If anything a monopoly would have caused the genre to turn stagnant sooner
vanphelan
That's it, I am buying the first season of LOST and starting it. I can't take having every article have it in there somewhere...i feel left out...
Notafanboythatiknow
I am glad Craptivision did not buy Harmonix; they will have butchered it.
greeknerd
Patrick you think everything is like an episode of Lost (not that it's a bad thing).
crwatkins
I have never owned Guitar Hero 3 or above. The game just felt like a typing game more than a music game after Harmonix left. They focused do much on making it challenging, that they ignored making it feel like an experience. While it prob hurt the market in the long run, I am glad Harmonix did go it's own way and did it's own thing.
Kotick is a giant tool and it's always been clear that he's about money, not the art.
krypto74
"I'm Sorry, we coulda made a bigger pile of money and laid off more guys to make profits, I gotta get back to my solid gold house. Keep playing Modern Warfare 2!" Not surprised.
mikesctr
Bobby Kotick is probably hitting is head on his desk right now because of not purchasing Harmonix.
Displaying 1–19 of 19
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