Bizarre Creations built its name on racing with the Project Gotham series, but Activision is exploring options regarding the "Blur" and "James Bond: Blood Stone" studio right now, and those options don't appear to include promising outcomes for their Liverpool staff. A post on a NeoGAF thread stoked rumors that the studios was being completely shut down, and while that hasn't been eliminated as potential outcome, Giant Bomb reports that Bizarre will be going through a "90-day consultation period," during which Activison will decide what their next step will be.
"Over the past three years since our purchase of Bizarre Creations, the fundamentals of the racing genre have changed significantly," an official statement from Activision explained, according to a post on VG247. "Although we made a substantial investment in creating a new IP, Blur, it did not find a commercial audience. Bizarre is a very talented team of developers, however, because of the broader economic factors impacting the market, we are exploring our options regarding the future of the studio, including a potential sale of the business."
The team at Bizarre that produced "Geometry Wars," "Blur" and numerous other titles have delivered a lot of innovation and passion to their projects throughout the studio's life. It would be a shame if "Blood Stone" turns out to be the final game they're remembered for. As many as 200 staff members are reportedly being let go, too, so things don't look optimistic for the near-term.
What do you think Activision should do with Bizarre? Are you surprised to hear that the studio might be put up for sale? Share your responses with us in the comment section below.