Harmonix

"Rock Band" Game Released for iPhone, iPod touch

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 20, 2009 - 12:07pm.
Los Angeles - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS), along with Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and developer Harmonix, on Tuesday announced the release of "Rock Band" for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. The $9.99 game includes a full-band Bluetooth multiplayer mode, 20 full-length songs, and the ability to purchase additional songs from within the game.

MTV to Let Artists Upload Own Songs to "Rock Band" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 17, 2009 - 8:11am.
New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games plans later this year to launch a service that will let any musical artist upload and submit their songs for possible inclusion in its "Rock Band" music video game, Billboard reported.

McCartney, Starr Introduce "The Beatles: Rock Band" at E3

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 1, 2009 - 1:34pm.
Los Angeles - Surviving members of the Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were on hand at Microsoft's (NASD: MSFT) E3 press conference on Monday to introduce the upcoming video game "The Beatles: Rock Band" from Harmonix and MTV Games (NYSE: VIA). Set for release on Sept. 9, the game will include 45 Beatles tracks, and offer many others for download, including "All You Need Is Love" -- proceeds from sales of which will go to Doctors Without Borders. A video of the trailer for the game is available at the link below.

"Rock Band" North American Game Sales Top $1 Billion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 26, 2009 - 12:55pm.
New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games said on Thursday that its "Rock Band" franchise has surpassed $1 billion in North American retail sales in 15 months, according to NPD Group data. Over 40 million individual songs have additionally been sold as downloadable content for the game.

Are You Looking Forward To "The Beatles: Rock Band"?

Authored by Jay Baage on March 5, 2009 - 12:16pm.

"The Beatles: Rock Band" Video Game Set for Sept. 9 Release

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 5, 2009 - 11:40am.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and Harmonix game studio announced on Thursday that the forthcoming Beatles-themed version of its popular "Rock Band" music video game will ship worldwide on Sept. 9, 2009. The company had been in talks with Apple Corps, the Beatles' record label, and surviving members of the band or their widows, and the game will mark the first time the music of the Beatles has been released in any digital format.

"Rock Band" Game Gets Pearl Jam "Ten" Reissue Download

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 15, 2008 - 2:16pm.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix game studio, the unit of MTV Networks that developed "Rock Band," said on Monday that Pearl Jam will offer the reissue of its debut album "Ten" as a download for the game on the same day as its physical release on Mar. 24. Initially released in 1991, the album has since sold 12 million copies worldwide.

"Rock Band" Game Hits 28 Million Song Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 8, 2008 - 1:04pm.

Los Angeles - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix game studio, a unit of MTV Networks, disclosed recently in its Rock Band Community Zine that players have to date purchased over 28 million song download add-ons to the music game, Shacknews reported. The "Rock Band" store features just 345 tracks from 239 artists.

MTV, Beatles to Collaborate on New Music Video Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2008 - 8:58am.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks on Thursday announced a deal with the Beatles' record label, Apple Corps, to create a Beatles-branded music video game. The game -- which apparently will not be part of MTV's "Rock Band" franchise -- was conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Star, approved by Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and will feature "LOVE" project co-producer Giles Martin as Music Producer.

Z Corp. to Sell 3D Figurines of "Rock Band 2" Custom Avatars

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 26, 2008 - 11:35am.

San Francisco - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Harmonix game studio has partnered with on-demand 3D printing firm Z Corporation to offer players of its upcoming "Rock Band 2" the ability to order six-inch tall figurine versions of their customized musician avatars from the game, Wired.com reports. The $75 figurines will feature all of the customizations to body styles, faces, makeup options, hair styles and tattoos that users apply to their Rock Band avatars.

Konami Sues "Rock Band" Maker Harmonix Over Game Patents

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 11, 2008 - 10:18am.

Tokyo - Japanese video game developer and publisher Konami has filed suit against Viacom-owned (NYSE: VIA) "Rock Band" game developer Harmonix, alleging the popular music game infringes on several of Konami's patents, Bloomberg reported.

"Rock Band" to Add 12 Downloadable Tracks from The Who

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 1, 2008 - 11:21am.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and Harmonix studio on Tuesday announced that it will add a dozen songs from The Who to the tracks available for download for its "Rock Band" game via the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store. The tracks -- which include three from The Who's "Live at Leeds" album, the first live tracks to be featured in the game -- will sell for $1.99 each or $19.99 for the entire collection when they are released on July 15.

"Rock Band 2" Game Set for Release in September

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 30, 2008 - 12:22pm.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and Harmonix studio said on Monday that "Rock Band 2," the sequel to their 15 million unit-selling music game with vocal, guitar and drum accessories, will be released to retailers in September. The game will initially be exclusive to the Xbox 360, but then launch on other platforms before the end of the year.

tags: Games | Music | MTV | Viacom | Harmonix | Rock Band |

MTV Adds Full Album Downloads to "Rock Band" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 18, 2008 - 9:45am.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks said this week that it will begin offering owners of its "Rock Band" video game to download full albums compatible with the game beginning next week, to include records from Judas Priest, the Cars and the Pixies.

"Rock Band" for Nintendo Wii to Ship on June 22

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 25, 2008 - 11:05am.

Cambridge, Mass. - Video game developer Harmonix, a unit of Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks, announced on Tuesday that its version of "Rock Band" for the Nintendo Wii will ship to retailers on June 22. Published by Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS), the $169 bundle will include guitar, microphone and drums accessories for the Wii.

Gibson Files Patent Suits Over Guitar Video Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 24, 2008 - 7:07am.

Nashville, Tenn. - Guitar manufacturer Gibson has filed a second patent infringement lawsuit over guitar-replica controllers used in the video games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," this time suing "Rock Band" makers Harmonix, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks and Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS). Gibson also last week filed suit against a number of retailers, including Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), for selling Activision's (NASD: ATVI) "Guitar Hero" in violation of its 1999 patent.

MTV: 6 Million Song Downloads Sold for "Rock Band" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 20, 2008 - 11:20am.

Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix, the video game studio unit of Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks that created the "Rock Band" music game, announced on Thursday that more than 6 million song downloads have been purchased for the game since its launch just over three months ago. Over 70 songs are currently available for purchase and download for the game, priced at $0.99 to $2.99 per track, with the vast majority selling for $1.99. "The success of Rock Band downloadable content to date firmly reinforces our vision and its potential as a platform for music discovery," said Paul DeGooyer, SVP DVD, Gaming and Audio, MTV.

tags: Games | TV | Music | MTV | Viacom | Harmonix | Rock Band |

Mad Catz to Make Accessories for MTV Games' "Rock Band"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 4, 2008 - 12:10pm.

San Diego - Mad Catz Interactive, a maker of video game accessories, said on Friday that it has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks, to create and distribute accessories for MTV-owned Harmonix Music Systems' "Rock Band" video game in North America and other territories. The music-based game features wired and wireless guitars, a drum percussion set and microphone accessories.

Romantics Sue "Guitar Hero" Makers Over Sound-Alike Recording

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 26, 2007 - 10:50am.

New York - Members of the Romantics have sued Activision (NASD: ATVI), publisher of the popular "Guitar Hero" game, over a "sound-alike" version of their song "What I Like About You" featured in the game that the band says sounds too much like their original recording, Billboard reports.

MTV Games, Harmonix Release "Rock Band" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2007 - 11:51am.

Cambridge, Mass. - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and Harmonix game studio, and distribution partner Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) on Tuesday announced the release of their "Rock Band" game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the U.S. The $170 game includes guitar, microphone and drum accessories and allows gamers to play along with popular songs, similar to Activision's "Guitar Hero." In addition to the 58 tracks included with "Rock Band," the companies plan to sell downloadable tracks that can be added to the game.