Last month, it was revealed that Viacom would be selling their stake in Harmonix, the acclaimed rhythm game developer known for starting both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. Today it was announced that Harmonix will be “returning to their roots”, becoming an independent developer again.

The sale was revealed on Harmonix’s official forums and from a press release issued by Viacom, with investment company Columbus Nova helping to purchase the studio and forming Harmonix-SBE Holdings LLC. This deal will not affect the DLC schedule for either Rock Band 3 or Dance Central, as Harmonix PR rep John Drake said via the forum post, “the DLC schedule marches on for Rock Band, we will continue our support of previously released titles.”

The company was bought by Viacom’s MTV Games back in 2006, a partnership that saw the creation of the Rock Band franchise. However, as sales for the franchise and the music game genre waned in recent years, the company’s future was in doubt, and Viacom revealed their intent to sell the company.
What do you think of Harmonix going solo? Could we see the music genre bounce back? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Via Harmonix, Viacom