[Update] Breaking: Activision Shutters Project Gotham Dev Bizarre Creations?

[John Funk]

Wasnt Activision the one who shut down the guys that made Sabouter?
These games were good, I really dont understand. If the games were getting reviews of 4.0 or something it would be ok but they get 7.0s and 8.0s

Unfortunately, for the people on the business side of things, the scores a game gets aren't nearly as important as how many copies it sells.

For them, it might as well be simple math: "We've put $X million dollars into this studio, it consistently returns $Y million, X >>>> Y, it's not worth it."

Yes, it sucks. It really sucks, and it's one of the biggest problems with the blockbuster-focused industry. But every publisher does it - Activision, EA, Ubisoft, you name it.

 

[Mehall]

Wasnt Activision the one who shut down the guys that made Sabouter?
These games were good, I really dont understand. If the games were getting reviews of 4.0 or something it would be ok but they get 7.0s and 8.0s

Unfortunately, for the people on the business side of things, the scores a game gets aren't nearly as important as how many copies it sells.

For them, it might as well be simple math: "We've put $X million dollars into this studio, it consistently returns $Y million, X >>>> Y, it's not worth it."

Yes, it sucks. It really sucks, and it's one of the biggest problems with the blockbuster-focused industry. But every publisher does it - Activision, EA, Ubisoft, you name it.

It doesn't even necessarily mean X > Y, it means Y is not significantly enough above X. Sometimes making a tidy profit just isn't enough for publishers and they look to close them to "make room" in their "portfolio" for high profit studios, only to do the same a few years down the road.

I'm sure, even with mediocre sales of Blur and Bloodstone, that the games will have paid for the cost of acquiring and supporting them.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Wasnt Activision the one who shut down the guys that made Sabouter?

Pandemic Studios, the guys behind Battlefront, Mercenaries and The Saboteur, was shut down by EA.

 

[Sallix]

So much for Kotick trying to improve his reputation over the past weeks.

It's always a shame to see a studio get shut down. However I can't really blame Activision for axing a studio that isn't making them money.

 

[Worgen]

ugh, dammit, guess I wont be seeing another fur fighters game for awhile, oh who am I kidding, I never expected to see another one but it was one of those under appreciated gems

 

[Loonerinoes]

I guess this time of the year truly "Tis the season" for game devs. *sigh* Last year it was Pandemic, this year this one. 200 people laid off, just like that in a snap. And the two games were actually better than most blockbusters in terms of what they were about and how they went about it.

 

[V8 Ninja]

...*Sigh*...I want to murder everyone at Activision with a box cutter. Not only did Bizarre have a decent-looking future, they didn't make bad games. Of course, it was their choice to team up with Activision, but still, this is a dick move on Activision's part.

 

[Shycte]

Damn you Kotick.

 

[icame]

The guys that made APB at least made a few crappy games in the last few years, but these guys have been making quality games. It sucks that their games were commercial flops, but i hope that atcivision decides to keep them,because I for one want to see another game from them.

 

[Dexiro]

Ahhhhh nooooo I want Geometry Wars 2 on PC or PS3 first D: It better get ported eventually.

 

[AwesomeFerret]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU--

-shakes fist-
KKKKKKOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, quick, wait! If you use his name, he'll demand that you give him more money and rare stuff than anyone in the world could ever afford!

 

[gallaetha_matt]

According to UK industry publication Develop - and other sources [http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=413199] - the publisher closed the Liverpool, UK-based studio earlier today. All 200 staff at Bizarre have been made redundant and laid off.

Wait, wait, wait - there's been a games studio in my city all this time and I wasn't informed until now? I could've applied for a job there! Wait... that probably would've been a very bad idea.

I'd be pissed off if I was one of the two hundred people that lost their job to this. It's pretty obvious Activision is just trying to save as much money as they can and to hell with all the working plebs at the lowest level. I at least hope that the staff managed to get away with some decent office furniture - I wish I could've been around to show them the correct way to remove a photocopier from a building under the eyes of security.

 

[samsonguy920]

And even more Activision shows itself to be the worst of the lot for staying with "safe" IP's. I really wouldn't want to be in any of their other dev studios right now, wondering when the next axe falls.

Activision fucked up the marketing on Blur. It reviewed well, better than Split Second, but was sent out to die with a disagreement between Activision and retailers and next-to-zero marketing. This is really sad. I've had fond memories of Bizarre games.

Well from what I have heard about Blur it wasn't that great a racing game. Project Gotham on the other hand was a name to remember.
Blood Stone did suffer from lack of attention. I didn't really know about that game until it popped up on Steam and I was going WTF? Where did this come from?
I am planning on getting that game when I have the funds, something I might have had if I knew about it sooner. It may just be the perfect alternative for those who don't have a Wii and therefore can't play the new Goldeneye. Like me.
I do hope the studio continues on, they have made some projects to remember.

 

[VulakAerr]

And even more Activision shows itself to be the worst of the lot for staying with "safe" IP's. I really wouldn't want to be in any of their other dev studios right now, wondering when the next axe falls.

Activision fucked up the marketing on Blur. It reviewed well, better than Split Second, but was sent out to die with a disagreement between Activision and retailers and next-to-zero marketing. This is really sad. I've had fond memories of Bizarre games.

Well from what I have heard about Blur it wasn't that great a racing game. Project Gotham on the other hand was a name to remember.

I still play Blur almost daily. It's an incredibly addictive racer. Anyone who says otherwise is just way too into serious racers. As an arcade racer it's one of the best I've played.

 

[supernovashadow]

Yeah, it's amazing Blur couldn't find an audience when they released it the same week as ModNation Racers and a week after Split/Second. :/ I really enjoyed Blur. I wish they would have put the game out when it had more of a chance to succeed.
And no more Project Gotham! Ever! This sucks. The first one was the first game I bought for the original Xbox.