They may have to give a little cash back to Viacom, but Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy have been given a lovely consolation prize. USA Network has awarded the co-founders of Harmonix with a “Character Approved” award for 2010. The awards, which “honor the real characters who are changing the face of American culture,” also recognize Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow, Kiva.org founder Jessica Jackley, and, er, Green Day.

From the Harmonix writeup:

Rigopulos and Egozy’s potent combination of musical training and advanced technical skill-combined with a healthy dose of innovation-has fueled explosive growth in the category of music games and earned the two a place on Time Magazine’s 2008 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Congrats, gents.

[Read | image: USA Network]