Guitar Hero and Rock Band creator Harmonix announced this morning that its splitting with parent company Viacom, and "returning to [its] roots" by going independent. 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 and we're hard at work on some unannounced projects that we think you're going to be pumped about," Harmonix rep John Drake said in a statement on the dev's forums.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed in the official press release from Viacom, but the publisher has been looking for a chance to sell off Harmonix since at least mid-November. In Harmonix' eyes, the partnership is ending amicably, with Drake continuing, "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."