| Harmonix Music Systems |
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Harmonix Music Systems ('''Harmonix''' for short) is an independent video game development company. They are known in the industry for their acclaimed line of Music Video Games and have won numerous awards for their titles. MTV Networks , a subsidiary of Viacom , became the owner of Harmonix in September 2006. HISTORY Harmonix was founded in 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy who met while attending MIT . Interview with Alex Rigopulos at GameCritics.com The company was built on the premise that the experience of performing music could become accessible to those who would otherwise have trouble learning a traditional instrument. The company's earliest product was ''The Axe'' on PC CD-ROM . ''The Axe'' enabled consumers to easily perform unique instrumental solos by using a PC Joystick . Harmonix then designed "CamJam", which performed similar functions, this time using simple body gestures to trigger music sequences. CamJam was utilized at Disneyworld theme parks. The Roar of IAAPA at livedesignonline.com In 1997, the Harmonix team focused on To develop ''FreQuency'', Rigopulos and Egozy formed a larger team, finding many of their new employees to be musicians. Featuring songs by a number of underground '', released in 2003. Several changes were made from its predecessor to broaden the game's appeal, from gameplay tweaks to a more mainstream soundtrack. And again, ''Amplitude'' achieved awards, critical praise, Amplitude at Harmonix.com and a small, cult following, but it was not a financial hit. After ''Amplitude'', Harmonix teamed up with Konami to create the '' Karaoke Revolution '' franchise. Konami, known for their Bemani line of music games, published the games, of which Harmonix developed and released three "volumes" between 2003 and 2004. Also in 2004, Harmonix released ''''. A departure from music games, the title used the PlayStation 2 EyeToy camera peripheral to enable one's body to perform as a controller for a futuristic extreme sports game. In 2005, Harmonix released '' Guitar Hero ''. The game featured similar gameplay elements to ''FreQuency'' and ''Amplitude'', in which the goal is for the player to hit color-coded buttons to the rhythm of passing button sequences. However, ''Guitar Hero'' utilized a five-button, guitar-shaped controller, designed uniquely for the game. Similar to Konami's peripheral-touting Bemani games, ''Guitar Hero'' became largely successful, both critically and commercially, spawning the equally well-received '' Guitar Hero II ''. Finally achieving the company's original goal on a mass scale, Harmonix is currently planning to expand upon the design of ''Guitar Hero'' with the title '' Rock Band '', which will incorporate three different peripherals: guitar/bass, microphone, and drums. EMPLOYEE BANDS Due to the nature of titles developed by Harmonix, a large percentage of staff members are well-known in the Boston and US music scene. These include:
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