14 DAY TRIAL // Harmonix might have been sold by Viacom and the wider music simulation genre might have wider problems at the moment, but the developer is still interested in it while also being ready to deliver other products, possibly based on Kinect, the Microsoft-made motion-tracking system.
Speaking to gaming-oriented magazine, Edge Alex Rigopulos, who is the chief executive officer at Harmonix, has said, “Dance Central is a bridge from music gaming into motion gaming, we’ve developed both a competency and preoccupation with the creative potential of motion gaming, and it’s safe to say you’ll see a lot more in that domain from Harmonix beyond Dance Central. … I think there’s staggering creative potential that’s largely unexplored.”
The company leader has also confirmed that his company was actively seeking new ways of introducing new intellectual properties in the near future, saying that they are not linked directly to either Rock Band or Dance Central.
But Harmonix is also focused on providing more support for the music genre, adding, “We do feel that there’s more to do in that space, and that doing more involves reconception of what music games mean, and what other ways there are to connect people with music.”
Video-game publisher Activision has recently announced that for the year of 2011 it has no plans to launch a new game in the Guitar Hero or the DJ Hero series and that DLC launches for already existing titles will only go on for a few months.
This means that Harmonix will likely not have a powerful rival when and if it decides to deliver a Rock Band 4, probably after a pause period designed to allow the market to again be interested in music-simulation games.
The Kinect motion tracking system has sold very well since launch, and developing experiences for it means reaching a number of gamers that have a device but a small number of games that use it very well.