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Activision Moves To Close Bizarre Creations
by Kris Graft [PC, Console/PC]
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January 19, 2011
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After announcing that it would consider the sale of Project Gotham and Blur developer Bizarre Creations, Activision said Wednesday it is now recommending closing the wholly-owned studio.
A UK Activision representative confirmed to Gamasutra reports that time is up for the Liverpool-based studio to find a buyer, as chances of a new owner have diminished to virtually nil.
Activision purchased Bizarre in 2007, as the publisher aimed to gain a greater foothold in the racing game genre. But the studio's most recent racing game Blur "did not find a commercial audience," according to the publisher.
Activision announced in November that it put Bizarre's staff on a 90-day notice that some type of restructuring or closure could take place. The three-month window is in accordance with UK labor laws.
Now that Activision has recommended the closure of the studio, Bizarre will accept the recommendation, Activision Worldwide Studios COO Coddy Johnson told UK-based website Develop.
"I want to be clear, our first choice was to try and keep this group together and find a buyer for the studio," he said. "This decision comes after a few months of exhausted examination of a number of different options across the board."
"We of course care about this team. We're offering the studio as many resources as possible, including counselling, external placement services and external career fairs," he added. Johnson said the recommendation of the studio's closure is "a last resort."
Bizarre released the combat racing game Blur in May 2010, and the console versions of action title James Bond 007: Blood Stone in November. The company is also behind the Project Gotham Racing and Geometry Wars series.
The UK developer formed as Bizarre Creations in 1994, although the studio's roots go back into the 1980s. Last year, the developer had 200 workers.
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Thanks for the great titles over the years.
Best wishes to you all!!
Good luck to all affected.
BC is unfortunately failing at their own hands - they needed to reinvent the racing genre, and Blur was anything but that. I have to honestly admit that I liked Split Second way better.
Maybe the devs will have another chance with a new company....
At our small company we are looking for a project, making pitches and proposals to various entities and if an idea in any way involves Activision it goes right to the bottom of the list.
Blur didn't sell, so shareholders aren't going to get up in arms over the studio closure. Even if they were wholly independent they still would have to close or sell because their games haven't been selling.
Now, we can only speculate as to WHY their games haven't sold, and that could possibly be put on ATVI's shoulders, but as long as they have their cash cows the investors won't complain.
Please form a new studio and focus on creating Geometry Wars style games. I loved the one for the Wii (Galaxies?) and DS, please make those kinds of games for XBLA.
I need more of that kind of game. Please.
I'll admit I'm not a PGR or MSR fan, but I know plenty of people that are.
My hope is that MS provides funds for some of these guys to form a new studio and make a new PGR.
I understand that Codemasters absorbed the SEGA Racing Team years prior and probably can't do the same for Bizarre...but the talent at Bizarre would be too good to pass up.
I wish the best for all those involved.
I do hope they re-form and make different games again, ones that are interesting and fun again.