Music game developer Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. today announced it has raised $15 million dollars in equity funding led by Foundry Group and Spark Capital. Other participating investors include SOSV, CommonAngels Ventures, and Presence Capital. The capital will be used towards continued innovation in the interactive music software space – including work on emerging platforms like virtual reality – as well as a number of unannounced projects.
At Apple’s most recent press conference, Harmonix revealed Beat Sports, a collection of music-infused mini-games developed exclusively for the new Apple TV.
On October 6th, the latest iteration of the studio’s award-winning Rock Band franchise—Rock Band 4—will be available for retail and digital download for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Additionally, Harmonix is working on an unannounced game for Oculus’ VR system, Rift, and will be bringing its interactive music visualizer Harmonix Music VR to Sony’s PlayStation VR in 2016.
“There is no other game developer that has succeeded with new interfaces and new platforms as many times as Harmonix. And this year is in many ways the rebirth of the company, from publishing Rock Band, to taking the pole position yet again on two brand new platforms, Apple TV and Virtual Reality. They are a unique company in the history of gaming, and we are very excited for what’s to come,” said Nabeel Hyatt, Venture Partner at Spark Capital.
“Our passion for music, gaming, and working with new technologies has made us leaders in the field for more than 20 years. We’re incredibly excited about what lies ahead,” said Steve Janiak, CEO of Harmonix. “Whether we’re pushing a genre forward with Rock Band 4, exploring possibilities with VR technology, or developing games for new platforms like Apple TV – there’s no limit to what we can accomplish.”
“Harmonix has been able to keep a steady beat of innovation going throughout its incredible journey over the past two decades,” added Brad Feld of Foundry Group, “I have no doubt that they’ll continue to push the boundaries of human-computer interaction in a way that impacts millions of people around the world.”
Source: Press Release