Aligning the studio "with product development plans"

Back in December, Viacom officially handed Harmonix back... to itself. The studio graduated to private ownership after being put up for sale by its parent company.

The inevitable restructuring process that followed hasn't been pretty. Harmonix confirmed yesterday that they had laid off a number of full-time employees, though no solid numbers were given. Joystiq reported that figures could fall between 12 to 15 percent of the 240-person staff.

"Harmonix is restructuring our organization to bring it into alignment with our current product development plans," the statement read. "Unfortunately, this means reducing the number of full-time staff. We sincerely appreciate the work of each and every one of these employees. Harmonix is working to ensure that those affected are well taken care of as we make this change."

The studio's current lineup remains a mystery for the most part. A still-unnamed 3DS music game is currently in development, and Harmonix has promised continued support for Rock Band 3 and Dance Central.