Help me understand these companies...

[MF-PO'd]

I'm still a little confused on who is associated with what.

Correct me if any of this is wrong.

Guitar Hero:
Activision - publishes the game
Red Octane - developer?
Neversoft - developer?

What does Red Octane do vs. Neversoft?

Rock Band:
EA - publishes the game
Harmonix - developer
MTV games - what do they do?

As I understand it, Harmonix used to be with Activision. Who bought who?


Thanks.

[espher]

Harmonix and RedOctane were partnered at one time.

Activision owns RedOctane, and Harmonix was purchsaed by MTV Games.

Neversoft developed GH3. RedOctane made the instruments and probably does some publishing crap. Activision publishes/distros.

Harmonix developed Rock Band. MTV published it. EA distributes it.

[Bakkster]

Neversoft developed GH3. RedOctane made the instruments and probably does some publishing crap. Activision publishes/distros.

Harmonix developed Rock Band. MTV published it. EA distributes it.

This is correct.

[flrrb]

This is all from memory, so please pardon any mistakes...

GH1 & GH2
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: Red Octane

GH: Rocks the 80's
Developer Harmonix
Publisher: Red Octane/Activision (I think this was when Act. bought RO)

GH3
Developer: Neversoft
Distributer: Activision
Publisher: Red Octane/Activision

Rock Band
Developer: Harmonix
Distributer: EA
Publisher: MTV Games

That being said, I can honestly say that I will probably get ANY game that I see a Harmonix logo on it. They seem to never dissapoint me.

(Editied to add the info from above.)

[DesiredFX]

For GHIII, Activision is the publisher, Red Octane developed the hardware, and Neversoft developed the software.

As near as I can tell, the role that MTV Games plays for Rock Band is uber-overseer. MTV's role is like Activision's but without the stuff that Activision does that EA is handling.

I believe that EA not only publishes the game, but handled the contracts to manufacture the peripherals.

Harmonix developed the software and provided the user-interface designs (ie, non-electronics) for the peripherals.

For past GH games, Red Octane and Harmonix partnered to create the package...and I'm pretty sure the MTV Games logo appears in there somewhere...

Activision eventually bought Red Octane, which is now a subsidiary. Around the same time, MTV Games bought Harmonix. Since Red Octane owned the GH franchise, that went to Activision with them while Harmonix began work on Rock Band.

I think I need to draw a chart, here...throw in some love interests and this would sound like an episode of the OC...

[MF-PO'd]

Heh... thanks, guys.

It's good to understand the history.

So Activision had nothing to do with GH1/GH2? They only first became involved with GH 80's?

[sporkBrigade]

Heh... thanks, guys.

It's good to understand the history.

So Activision had nothing to do with GH1/GH2? They only first became involved with GH 80's?

Activision published GH2. GH1 was the only Guitar Hero game Activision had nothing to do with.

[Bakkster]

I believe that EA not only publishes the game, but handled the contracts to manufacture the peripherals.

Nope. EA had no publishing role, and I am 90% certain that HMX handled the manufacturing contracts.

EA only gets stuff in their warehouses, and then sends those to retailers or as RMAs.

[resident360]

Activision published GH2.

I think that's only the 360 version. The PS2 version came out before Activision bought Red Octane.