Activision Responds To Harmonix On Guitar Compatability

December 14th, 2007 by Brian Lockhart in Business, News, PlayStation 3, Software

Well it looks like Activision was not too pleased when Harmonix told the world that even though they had a patch in place to let GH3 controllers work for Rockband on the PS3, Activision had blocked it. Naturally Activision has followed up with their own statement, painting a slightly different picture. The issue, it seems, probably came down to licensing and money. While Activision attempts to transfer the blame to Harmonix, because they obviously did not go along with the little agreement, we can only hope that they eventually come around, as its really the consumers and the PS3 user base that is getting the shaft on this issue.

To Music Gaming Fans:

The recent announcement by MTV Games/Viacom’s Harmonix division that Activision is blocking Sony from releasing a patch and their plea to enable Rock Band software to work with Guitar Hero hardware paints a very misleading picture.

In fact, Harmonix and its parent company MTV Games/Viacom recently declined Activision’s offer to reach an agreement that would allow the use of Guitar Hero guitar controllers with Rock Band. We have been and remain open to discussions with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom about the use of our technology in Rock Band. Unfortunately for Rock Band users, in this case Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom are unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision.

Activision’s top priority is to provide consumers with a seamless marriage of best-in-class hardware and software. We are focusing our efforts on innovating hardware and software that are designed to work together, work flawlessly and provide an enjoyable gaming experience.

Best regards,

Activision