When someone mentions Harmonix, you usually think of music-based franchises like the Rock Band series or the hit DropMix board game. But now the developer is striking out into new territory, as it’s teaming up with a Korean publishing giant to produce an all-new game.
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The company announced on its page today that it has teamed up with NCSOFT, the publisher behind the immensely popular Blade & Soul, to work on a new “software-based game.” However, Harmonix didn’t disclose what the game was yet and noted that it was still in “extremely early stages of development,” so it may be awhile before we see what it actually is.
Still, this is big news for Harmonix, marking one of its biggest partnerships since it teamed up with Electronic Arts on the Rock Band franchise. “This partnership is representative of NCSOFT’s ambition to reach beyond the PC and mobile MMORPG space with new and innovative titles,” said Dr. Songyee Yoon, president, NCSOFT. “Harmonix’s decades of expertise at the intersection of music licensing and video game development are second to none, and we can’t wait to introduce their upcoming project to the world.”
“We’re thrilled to team up with NCSOFT as a publisher that shares our vision for the evolution of entertainment, and what it takes to build a community on modern gaming platforms,” said Steve Janiak, CEO, Harmonix. “NCSOFT’s stellar reputation as a partner, combined with its incredible publishing expertise, means that we can focus fully on developing our next genre-defining music experience. I am fully confident they will help deliver what I genuinely believe will be a one-of-a-kind game.”
NCSOFT has been partnering with a number of companies over the years, but its teaming up with Harmonix is an interesting move to say the least. Could we possibly be seeing the birth of some kind of musical MMO? Or maybe the company is trying to break new ground with a possible mobile foray into the world of Rock Band? Again, it’s too soon to tell since the game is in the beginning of its life cycle. But we wish the best of luck to the team in shaking up the gaming landscape!
So what do you think the game will be? Are we in for another Rock Band style rhythm game, something more digestible like Super Beat Sports, or something completely new and unexpected? Let us know in the comments what you expect to see, and we’ll keep you updated!
