In a move likely to be worrying to Guitar Hero’s fans around the world, MTV has purchased the popular rhythm game’s creators for $175 million in cash. I can understand the owners of Harmonix falling for that kind of money since, although Guitar Hero has been selling consistently, I’m not sure their titles have made anywhere near that kind of figure.

According to the press release, “The acquisition of Harmonix demonstrates MTV’s commitment to music and furthers its strategy of engaging passionate music fans through a deep and immersive multi-platform entertainment experience. With the addition of Harmonix’s strong music gaming titles, MTV will enhance its music-based universe of entertainment, news, gaming, and interactive content offerings, and increase audience engagement and time spent with the brand across all screens.”

They also state that “Harmonix is a wonderful addition to Viacom’s tremendous collection of digital assets, and is precisely the type of transaction that will help us aggressively grow our digital business while maintaining strong fiscal discipline,” said Philippe Dauman, President and CEO, Viacom Inc. “We’re committed to a swift integration and look forward to helping Harmonix become even stronger with the support of the incredible marketing and creative power at MTV Networks.”

Yes, it seems like a good move for MTV and especially for the shareholders of Harmonix, and it will also likely be beneficial for sales of Harmonix’s titles with the marketing power of MTV behind them.

But, we ask, will it be good for the players of Guitar Hero hoping for their favourite rock band to appear in the next instalment of the franchise? I’m not sure. It may, however, prove beneficial to those people living in smaller markets where Guitar Hero hasn’t ever been released, such as South Africa. It is possible that their rhythm titles might hit these shores in the future, which would be great - I just hope in the process that Harmonix keep their choice of music intact.