My Message close
GAME JOBS
Latest Blogs
spacer View All     Post     RSS spacer
 
May 19, 2013
 
All You Need is Love [3]
 
Students: Tips for Learning Game Development Over the Summer [1]
 
All Your Nintendo Let's Plays Are Belong To Nintendo? [81]
 
Even Further Down the Curation Rabbithole [12]
 
Systems of Control in F2P [27]
spacer
Latest Jobs
spacer View All     Post a Job     RSS spacer
 
May 19, 2013
 
Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
Sr. Network Systems Engineer
 
Amazon Game Studios
Sr. Game Designer
 
Treyarch / Activision
Technical Animator
 
Amazon Game Studios
Quality Assurance Manager
 
Amazon Game Studios
Lead 3D Environment Artist
 
Amazon Game Studios
Game Graphics Engineer
spacer
Latest Press Releases
spacer View All     RSS spacer
 
May 19, 2013
 
Zeeek and The Secret of
Space Octopuses heading
to...
 
Battle bad 'bots in Bad
Bots, available now on...
 
Temple Run 2 Adds New
Terrain and Obstacles
in...
 
Little Amazon runs
through Android
 
Command Ops gets a
Massive Update!
spacer
About
spacer Editor-In-Chief:
Kris Graft
Blog Director:
Christian Nutt
Senior Contributing Editor:
Brandon Sheffield
News Editors:
Mike Rose, Kris Ligman
Editors-At-Large:
Leigh Alexander, Chris Morris
Advertising:
Jennifer Sulik
Recruitment:
Gina Gross
Education:
Gillian Crowley
 
Contact Gamasutra
 
Report a Problem
 
Submit News
 
Comment Guidelines
Sponsor

 
Viacom posts reduced Q1 profits, blames  Rock Band  lawsuit
Viacom posts reduced Q1 profits, blames Rock Band lawsuit
 

February 3, 2012   |   By Mike Rose

Comments Post A Comment

More: Console/PC, Business/Marketing





Media giant Viacom has posted financial results for the first quarter of the current fiscal year, blaming a significant drop in profits year-over-year on charges related to the Rock Band video game series.

Viacom originally acquired Rock Band developer Harmonix back in 2006, but eventually sold the company back to its founders in 2010. The founders then sued Viacom, claiming that the company was attempting to scheme its way out of paying performance-based bonuses.

The dispute is still under review, but since then, Viacom has filed its own lawsuit against former Harmonix shareholders, claiming that they owed a "refund" for earn-out bonuses paid to shareholders "to which they are not entitled."

The latest claim from a jointly-appointed accountant is that Viacom owes the former shareholders in excess of $383 million.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2011, Viacom posted profits of $212 million, down 65 percent compared to $610 million year-over-year. The company blamed the figures on the $383 million it has set aside as reserve and charged to its earnings as a result of the aforementioned lawsuit.

As part of the earnings results, the company once again refuted claims against it, noting that it believes it is entitled to reduce the earn-out payment to the former Harmonix employees.
 
 
Top Stories

image
The laws behind Nintendo's Let's Play crackdown
image
New layoffs reach Trion
image
How developers mess up immersion (you might be doing it wrong)
image
Steam Trading Cards: The next-gen of achievements?


   
 
Comments


none
 
Comment:
 




 
UBM Tech