Rhythm games are the new FPS for a lot of gamers, a broader audience of gamers, and the market is thriving and demanding new titles. Harmonix and Activision are at the front of the battle with Konami following a bit behind but still contending (we think) very soon.
Each company plans to up each other with cooler instruments, tighter controls and new in-game options and multi-player fancies. It’s a business and each competitor tries to gain a lead by whatever means needed to win… or do they?
Harmonix stops short when it comes to purchasing exclusive rights to music artists, for now at least. Harmonix’s Eric Brosious went on blogger record saying, “We prefer not to sign exclusive deals with artists because while it seems like the competitive “business” thing to do, in the long run, it’s really not good for anyone. We think we should be working to get more music out to more people.” (kotaku)
As Marky Mark once said, we need “Music for the people” not for in-game exclusives making us choose between Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles. We’ve seen what EA has done to the football franchise by taking control of the NFL roster, money talks and the best game doesn’t always win.
If Activision decides to buy up a ton of great exclusive content and you’re a rock band gamer, you’ll lose out in a ton of great content. For some gamers, that might mean losing out in some artists you’ve never heard before which also means the artist loses out in new fans. We’ve seen younger gamers fall in love with the sounds of Boston and The Police, bands famous way before the birth of many of the Rock Band fan base.
You can tell Harmonix is a development group with roots in music while Activision is a development group with their roots in business. While exclusive access brings you an advantage, in terms of broadening the culture of music, it does very little. Harmonix may be in the right but will that matter in the end when business deals hit the table?
p.s. sorry about the Marky Mark reference, but it had to be done. Bringing out a bit of my own childhood there…
Man, first you knock Final Fantasy and then Darkwing Duck? I felt that Darkwing was as well rounded as Rebecca from Talespin, love both shows by the way, yes he self promoted but I think he did that in part to help take care of his adopted daughter Goslyn. He also used non-lethal means to fight villains, like Batman. I’m surprised that you guys didn’t talk about the video game counterparts to Talespin and Darkwing Duck.
One last thing about why I back any kickstarter game, there is a game Sword Coast Legends being made by N-space. The companies president, Dan Tudge said “I think that consumers have proven by voting with their wallets that not everyone wants to play a hundred-million-dollar blockbuster, though we certainly all enjoy them,” said Tudge. “There’s a place for really creative story-driven RPGs that do things like remain isometric, do things like party-based-tactical combat with pause-and-play.”
To me that statement validates my backing games like Pillar’s of Eternity as a vote for those kinds of games to be made. I had thought it was very oddly coincidental that this game was coming out along with PoE and the others.
@Lenovo: People like him are one reason why I like building my own computer and staying away from pre-built “brand name” computers. Having some companies unnecessary software is bad enough but to put in underhanded adware and spyware is just ridiculous.
@FCC and Net Neutrality: This is one of those things I know people debate about whether or not the Government should be regulating this sort of thing. From what you guys have outlined it certainly seems like something that needs to happen. I know my own internet seems to get throttled or some sites not work at all for no apparent reason.
@Capcom and Modders: I love Modders, always defying what Companies state can or can’t be done.
@Star Trek tribute to Spock: I was born after the show had aired but I grew up with the movies so I have an attachment to the old cast of sorts. TNG and DS9 is still my favorites and even there Spocks’ presence was felt in episodes he showed up in like Unification. I love how the gaming community can honor their fallen icons, much like WoW did with Robin Williams and now Nimoy in STO.