Harmonix is arguably one of the only developers ever that made good use of the Kinect sensors for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and made good use of them consistently- even Microsoft’s own internal teams couldn’t quite figure out what to do with the advanced motion and biometric sensor at all. Meanwhile, Harmonix made an entire franchise of hit games, Dance Central, based on its strong utilization of the Kinect and making it intrinsic to its game design.

Obviously, the mandatory bundling of the Kinect with the Xbox One was good news for them- with the Kinect no longer being a peripheral, and being a part of the basic core package for every unit, their games would be exposed to a larger audience. However, Microsoft’s decision to unbundle the Kinect from the console must have had a bad impact on their outlook… right?

As it turns out, it doesn’t feel like it did.

“It wasn’t a surprise to us,” Harmonix Music Systems co-founder Alex Rigopulos told Polygon. “We’ve worked with Microsoft for years, so it wasn’t like we read the news headlines and it was a shock. Our interest in bringing Dance Central to Xbox One was in no way predicated on a Kinect bundled in every box.”

He went on to say that he was selling his games that people wanted to play, and that he was confident that the strength of the games was such that people would buy a Kinect sensor if necessary to play them- those that wouldn’t wouldn’t likely have been interested in the games to begin with.

At the very least, they are being very sporting and professional about it. Hopefully, their games do well in spite of the Kinect now no longer being a part of the core Xbox One package.

Disney and Harmonix’s Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved, the upcoming psychedelic music rhythm game based on Disney’s properties and music that is coming to the Xbox One and Kinect for Xbox 360, will be releasing on October 21, Disney announced today. In addition, the two companies will also reveal some new content for the game at E3 next week.

The E3 showing this year will mostly focus on the game’s multiplayer modes, along with also showcasing the inclusion of the latest musical pieces in the game, as well as The Neighborhood, which sees players work their way through a restrained 2D urban cityscape, using music and magic to unleash a vibrant and magical 3D environment by interacting with billboards, rooftops, trains and other surprises hidden within the city landscape. So it sounds like Jet Set Radio, but with music and Disney.

Disney Fantasia releases this October for Xbox One and Xbox 360. It will require the Kinect accessory to be played on both systems. Stay tuned for more information.

Disney’s upcoming Kinect rhythm and music game, Fantasia, looks to be a rather unique experience (and one of the few games that looks like it is actually utilizing the Kinect in meaningful, compelling ways). It’s being developed by the guys at Harmonix- you know, only the guys who gave us Amplitude, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band, also commonly known as the most influential games in the rhythm game category ever- and it looks like a blast.

This new trailer also makes it look like a blast. Albeit like one you would have when you were high- the gameplay looks great, but the visuals look all kinds of crazy, mixing Harmonix’s signature visual style, mixed with Disney’s worlds, and a very LSD-style visual palette. It’s supposed to be wholesome, family friendly fun… but it might also serve as a replacement for getting high.

I kid. The game looks awesome. We should see more of it as the year goes by. It will be releasing on Xbox One and Kinect for Xbox 360.