It’s been confirmed that Viacom Inc. (parent company of MTV Networks and Comedy Central) has decided to sell Rock Band and Dance Central developer Harmonix, following several quarters of unprofitability for the media giant.

Viacom is reportedly in talks with several potential buyers for Harmonix, after acquiring the developer for $175 million at the end of 2006, and has classified the studio as ‘a discontinued operation.’

Viacom Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman said of the decision to sell Harmonix:

“Our decision to exit this business reflects our strategy of focusing entirely on what we do best. The console games business requires expertise and scale we don’t have.”

Meanwhile, Harmonix’s John Drake has posted on the official Rock Band forums to assure fans that the studio’s on-going work will be unaffected by the sale.

From the post:

“This morning’s announcement does not affect the ongoing work at the studio as we continue to support our existing franchises, Rock Band and Dance Central,” wrote Drake. “As stated earlier, Viacom is in discussions with several potential buyers and will continue to fully support the business until a sale is completed.”

Truly shocking news, but unfortunately utterly understandable in the current videogame landscape as music games continue to perform poorly in the market.

Is this the end of music games?

Or (here’s the better scenario), will Activision Blizzard buy Harmonix, and create a new music game franchise that’s neither Guitar Hero, nor Rock Band?

Or, will EA buy Harmonix and continue to support the Rock Band franchise to try and bury Guitar Hero?

This is going to be exciting!

Source: Bloomberg and Official Rock Band Forums