Viacom (NYSE: VIA) is pulling a Yoko Ono and breaking up the band.

The media giant revealed last week that it would sell Rock Band developer Harmonix. Viacom's cutting the cord on the company behind the once-popular rhythmic music games with guitar, drum, and microphone controllers.

It's easy to wager that Harmonix will soon get snapped up by another eager publisher. The real challenging bet here is identifying its potential buyer.

Let's review a few of the candidates:

  • Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) -- As the Rock Band franchise's distributor, EA should be at the top of the list. It knows better than anyone -- short of Viacom -- the value of Harmonix. Unfortunately, if Viacom wants to unload Harmonix, it's probably not because its near-term prospects are all that alluring. Music games with bulky instruments as controllers appear to have peaked two years ago.
  • Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) -- The company behind Guitar Hero would be a logical buyer, despite antitrust concerns. However, Activision has largely moved on from the niche. Call of Duty and World of Warcraft are its plum franchises these days.
  • Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO) -- Back when it seemed as if Viacom was digging video games as a way to diversify from its cable broadcasting revenue, I tapped Viacom as a reasonable suitor for Take-Two. Now the tables have turned, and the company behind Grand Theft Auto and BioShock has a chance to beef up its portfolio by entering a new arena with music games.
  • Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) -- Exclusivity is big among all three of the console makers, making Harmonix a tempting acquisition if it could design music games specifically for its parent console. Nintendo (OTCBB: NTDOY.PK) could use the edgy cred, and Sony (NYSE: SNE) could use Harmonix to regain the motion-based edge that Kinect appears to have over PlayStation Move, but Microsoft has the fattest bank account.

Now that Viacom has essentially written off Harmonix, it may be more interested in an orderly handoff than in trying to squeeze a few extra bucks out of the developer. The dinner bell is ringing, and somebody will be hungry enough to come to the table, even if rhythm-based games are rarely on gamers' menus these days.

Who will buy Harmonix? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.