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Harmonix Announces Layoffs

It's been a rough few months for Rock Band/Dance Central developer Harmonix, and the bad new continued today with the announcement of layoffs at the studio.

Here's the official statement:

"Harmonix is restructuring our organization to bring it into alignment with our current product development plans. Unfortunately, this means reducing the number of full-time staff. We sincerely appreciate the work of each and every one of these employees. Harmonix is working to ensure that those affected are well taken care of as we make this change."


However, all is not lost, as apparently the company is working on an unannounced music game for the Nintendo 3DS. Also, Joystiq reports that sources close to the company have stated that DLC offerings for both Rock Band 3 and Dance Central will continue.

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Comments
  • This sucks, good luck to all those effected.  Hopefully brighter doors open.

  • I wish the best of luck to all the people layed off at harmonix. I also hope that this trend of bad news doesn't continue for harmonix.

  • good luck to all those got fired....

  • Well I did everything I could to prevent this by buying Rock Band 1 & 2 and Dance Central, not to mention tons of dlc.
  • Yeah it sucks, but it might not be as harsh as it sounds. Sometimes companies bring in extra full time help just meet deadlines, usually some kids who are fresh out of school. Lord knows Harmonix has been churning out DLC nonstop for years. Now that the music boom is over, they have to trim fat. It happens, but the folks who were laid off have a nice shiny nugget to put on their resume and real experience working in a game studio. Real experience will carry you a long way in any industry.

  • truly sorry for those guys i would bought more DLC had it been GOOD....i mean i am a rock and roll all the way up to a straight up death metal guy and you guys have been giving me pop and country and even snoop dog...?...im sorry..but for me to enjoy my rockband thoroughly i need some metal up in dis place...friggin avenged sevenfold bullet for my valentine...they have some amazing songs which i think would be perfect for rockband3....
  • Yes! DLC makes me happy! Layoffs don't v.v At least Harmonix isn't leaving them in the dust...

  • Always sad when people lose their jobs, especially from a studio as talented as Harmonix. Here's hoping everyone lands on their feet.

  • This is a shame. I hope this is the worst we hear from Harmonix for a while...

  • tough times, i wish the best to the workers at harmonix, you guys work hard and hopefully these will get easier :)

  • DLC means they'll be around for a while. Hope they can pull through though.

  • This is a huge blow. Not only has another developer had to make cuts, but a very impressive and talented one at that. Man, makes you wonder who will still be around by the end of the year?

  • Let's hope that we don't hear about anymore Harmonix layoffs. Pass our sympathies to Harmonix and the people who've left. Actually, you guys should link this story to the Harmonix guys and just tell them to look at the comments. I bet that would get their spirits up at least a little bit
  • It's never fun to hear about anyone getting layed off.  Good luck to those affected.

  • I hate to hear about layoffs at Harmonix. I've been a huge fan of the work that studio has done for years (still waiting for a remix of Amplitude!).

    However, I would be remiss if I didn't see this for what it is: Another nail in the coffin of the music game genre. Rock Band 3's release came and went with little to no fanfare. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Dance Central, I imagine HMX would have had to lay off more folks, or would have needed to implement layoffs sooner than now.

    I do appreciate what they've contributed to the genre, and they have a great staff who actually responds to gamers who write to them. But let this be a lesson to all devs out there: When you capture a newer genre, or a genre whose potential is largely untapped, don't flood the genre with titles over a 2 and a half year period. HMX/MTV, along with RedOctane & Neversoft/Activision, flooded the market to the point where most of us just got tired of the games. I remember, fondly, the days of getting friends together and jamming on RB or RB2 for hours.. but then we all just got tired of the never ending DLC wheels, or the nearly-annual new releases that didn't really change much. Of the 8 of us who were regular RB players, only half of us bought RB2, and ZERO of us bought RB3. Additionally, most of us stopped buying DLC months, if not a year, ago.
  • I hate to say I saw this coming but i feel that the trend of music games being mega hits is over. They will still be played by some gamers but they will be lost to time just like JRPGS, arcade games, and fighting games. Never truly dead but always looking to the future knowing it will never be as brightg as the past.

  • Why oh why does Harmonix continue on this downward spiral...such a great group of guys that work their butts off and pour their hearts into this. Someone needs to pick them up for their work ethic alone.

  • ***. that sucks

  • This is why govt should lower taxes and stop spending.  We wouldn't be losing jobs