GDC: EA To Publish Harmonix/MTV GameGDC: EA To Publish Harmonix/MTV Game

Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopoulos has revealed that Electronic Arts are to publish the developer’s first new game since being acquired by MTV Networks, without revealing any further details of the project. Following Activision’s acquisition of Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane last year, developer Harmonix – who are also well know for other music related titles such as Amplitude, Frequency and Karaoke Revolution - were acquired by MTV in September, in a deal worth $175 million. Speaking to consumer website GameSpot, Rigopoulos indicated that Harmonix had signed a deal with EA Partners, the company’s specialist unit for publish independent third party games such as Crysis and the forthcoming Half-Life 2 Black Box and Orange Box wth Valve. When questioned on the nature of the new game, Rigopoulos would answer only that, “The project we're working on is by far, by far our most ambitious undertaking ever.” His comments mirror similar ones made to Gamasutra by producer Dan Sussman, who said the new game "is a bigger and more ambitious endeavor than we felt we could pursue within the bounds of the Guitar Hero franchise." Although Activision has subsequently handed development of the Guitar Hero franchise to internal studio NeverSoft (Tony Hawk), the series is the only one of Harmonix’s titles to prove a smash commercial success, despite the critical success of its earlier music titles. Guitar Hero II on PlayStation 2 was one of the best selling titles of the Christmas period in the U.S. and the imminent Xbox 360 version is also expected to be a considerable success.