Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Harmonix Music Systems, a division of MTV Games, is a Cambridge, Mass.-based videogame development company that specializes in music-based games.  The company, renowned for its groundbreaking design innovation, is home to a vibrant and dynamic collection of designers, artists, gamers and musicians. Founded in 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, the core principle at the heart of all Harmonix products is to share the joy of creating and performing music with everyone, regardless of their musical experience. 

Harmonix has a long legacy of producing not only popular, but also award-winning games centered around music. Rock Band and Rock Band 2, have brought the company’s mission of bringing the joy of making music to living rooms, garages and practice spaces around the world. A full-blown band simulation game that combines guitar, bass, drum and singing gameplay — as well as online multiplayer competition and co-op play — Rock Band and its sequels have become true cultural phenomena; hailed as “the ultimate music game” (Wired) and “the best party game ever made” (Time).

“Everyone is born with an innate urge to make music. It’s one of the most profoundly joyful things in life,” explains Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos. “Yet the challenges are such that few people really get that far. We thought that was a significant problem, and we set about exploring new ways to solve it. Our mission was to show non-musicians how it feels when you finally get to the other side. And hopefully, to inspire them to start making music the old-fashioned way.”

Most recently, the studio has completed work on Dance Central and Rock Band 3, leading innovations in the music gaming category. Rock Band™3 is changing the way fans think about and play music games, introducing new music, a keyboard peripheral and “Pro Mode” – taking the game beyond Expert and into the realm of real musicianship, with the opportunity to master real guitar, bass, keys or drums. Dance Central™ will help people experience their favorite music through dance and own the dance floor! Exclusively for Kinect for Xbox 360, it’s the first immersive dance video game that features and tracks full-body dance moves as players perform authentic choreography alongside a killer soundtrack that spans decades of pop, hip-hop and R&B.