Activision Moves To Close Bizarre Creations

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.