Reported by All Things Digital, Rock Band developer Harmonix was allegedly sold by Viacom to investment group Columbus Nova for the opulent sum of $49.99 – the price of one copy of its latest game, Rock Band 3. Before you think the wily money-men got it for a steal, don’t forget Columbus Nova have also taken on all of Harmonix’s debt and expenses, including expensive music rights and enough plastic instruments currently sitting on store shelves to bury Luxembourg in a sea of green, red, blue, yellow and orange buttons.
Having paid $175 million (or 3.5 million copies of Rock Band 3 worth) for Harmonix in early 2006, things aren’t that bad for former parent Viacom, as the deal allows the giant media conglomerate to net in the region fo $150 million in tax benefits.
Source: All Things Digital
mynameisblair
Wow – I could’ve afforded Harmonix (although I’d be in debt).
But who cares, I’d make everyone on TSA buy Rock Band 3 then I’d be rich!
ElGuason
haha i was just thinking that…
Sigmadead
Always nice to see price cuts.
SpikeyMikey23
I got bored of GH5 quite easily and that was my first foray into plastic guitar land. Also found that i couldnt play it for long as it kept fucking up my eyes. Have no idea how you managed 24hrs on Rockband blair!!
shields_t
The worst eye-screw about Rock Band and Guitar Hero is how you tend to keep scrolling upwards after playing it for a long time, it’s like watching the whole of the credits to one of the new Star Wars films.
icuyesido
The first decent January deal I’ve head.
An-dz
reminds me when woolworths went bankrupt a few years back and they where selling their company for 1p on the market. but however boguth it was also getting a couple of million in debt. too bad no one saved them i miss woolworths
Jackarseboyz
They’re still here and going strong in Australia
Guyers94
I’m still shocked at how poorly Rock Band 3 sold. Absolutely fantastic game with so much effort put into it.
hazelam
so if i wanted a copy of the new rock band game, it would have been cheaper to just buy the company? :o
teflon
I remember when Phil Mitchell sold the Queen Vic to Dirty Den for a fiver…
beeje13
Viacom are the people who started all the copyrighting claims on youtube, horrible stuck up company. Good luck to harmonix though.
bigdon23
surely it is a limited company, so if you wanted a game you would just need to buy it – get as many games and kit in your van as you could and then send the company into administration