Rock Band dev Harmonix breaks from Viacom, goes independent again
Guitar Hero and Rock Band creator Harmonix announced this morning that it's splitting with parent company Viacom and "returning to our roots as an independent and privately owned studio" -- investment company Columbus Nova helped purchase the studio and formed Harmonix-SBE Holdings LLC. Before we tell you anything else, know this: As promised, "the DLC schedule marches on for Rock Band, we will continue our support of previously released titles," wrote Harmonix PR rep John Drake in a statement on the Rock Band forums, "and we're hard at work on some unannounced projects that we think you're going to be pumped about."
The terms of the sale were not disclosed in the official announcement from Viacom, but the publisher has been looking for a chance to sell off Harmonix since at least mid-November. In the eyes of Harmonix, the partnership is ending amicably, with Drake adding, "Viacom and MTV Networks have been an amazing home for us over the past 4 years. It's where we launched both Rock Band and Dance Central, worked with The Beatles, Green Day, AC/DC, The Who and thousands of other artists. We want to take a moment to thank everyone in that organization who helped make these awesome games possible."
