Activision not sure what to do with Bizarre Creations

[Dark Drakan]

Earlier today it was reported that Activision had closed down UK studio Bizarre Creations (creators of Project Gotham, Blur & 007: Blood Stone) with a loss of 200+ jobs. However Activision have responded with the following statement:​

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Over the past three years since our purchase of Bizarre Creations, the fundamentals of the racing genre have changed significantly. Although we made a substantial investment in creating a new IP, Blur, it did not find a commercial audience.

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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.​

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Reminds me what EA did many years ago which such companies like Westwood Studios (gone but never forgotten!) So what could the future hold for Bizarre Creations and have Activision started to cull the development studios they own?
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[Azer249]

I actually hate activision...

 

[Dark Drakan]

I actually hate activision...

I understand 007: Blood Stone wasnt very good and reviews were average but PGR was rated as one of the best racers around and Blur was well received. When the UK Game Studios are struggling, money grabbing corporations like Activision are milking them dry and then leaving them high and dry. Maybe if Activision gave the developers decent time scales and stopped forcing them to rush titles out and started pumping some of the MASSIVE profits they are making back into the development studios they own to fund bigger and better games they might start getting somewhere.

 

[Tyloric]

200 people lost their jobs and Activision is saying "It's just good business"?

FU*CK. THEM.

 

[Firis]

R.I.P Westwood.
Fight the power, everyone.

 

[SelfAppointedGunslinger]

I seriously hate the way Activision kills off its developers like this as soon as they finish a game. Money grabbing C*nts, I swear to God thats all they do, **** people over! sigh...the gaming industry is so bloody corrupt nowadays MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! GIVE ME MOAR MONEY!!! What a bunch of tossers...

 

[Dark Drakan]

I seriously hate the way Activision kills off its developers like this as soon as they finish a game. Money grabbing C*nts, I swear to God thats all they do, f*** people over! sigh...the gaming industry is so bloody corrupt nowadays MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! GIVE ME MOAR MONEY!!! What a bunch of tossers...

I remember the days when they were laying into EA for doing the same thing and milking franchises. My how times change and the irony of it all. EA are no saints still granted but they are MUCH better than they were. Rumours are floating around that Microsoft are interested in acquiring Bizarre and a handful of other companies are interested too.

 

[Angel]

Thing is, unfortunately it IS good business. Just not good ethically or morally. But ethics don't bring in the dollars and that's what an huge company wants and needs - money. That's what the investors want - money. That's what the shareholders want - money. Nobody invests with a view to making a loss and if overall Bizarre Creations were not bringing in the projected finances but still paying 200 people to work there, then business-wise it is the sensible option.

Gaming industry is as cut throat as any other media - what may have started out as providing a new form of entertainment for the people has invariably become a great way of maximising incomes and the smaller companies within a corporation will undoubtedly suffer as a result. It's rarely ever one person's decision to drop a company and even if it seems like it, it's not done lightly over tea and biscuits in the commercial break of X-Factor.

However, there's every chance that if Bizarre are bought by someone else, they can be given the resources required to make a commercially viable product that will make Activision kick themselves in a few years' time. Although I doubt they'll notice - huge companies never do.

 

[Arseface]

And this is why capitalism is bad.

 

[SelfAppointedGunslinger]

And this is why capitalism is bad.

Granted Capitalism is bad, but it's better than anything else We've came up. It definately requires regulation though, otherwise You end up with people getting screwed like Activision has been doing to people for the past decade.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

nah, all governments are bad. all companies are ethically questionable.
that's why we should just go anarchy.

anyone wanna go roast some fish over an open bonfire in the UN headquarters?
i feel like taking a dump in the oval office, personally.

 

[Arseface]

Granted Capitalism is bad, but it's better than anything else We've came up. It definately requires regulation though, otherwise You end up with people getting screwed like Activision has been doing to people for the past decade.

Capitalism can work, but only with heavy regulation and honest governments. That, in turn, defeats the purpose of capitalism.

nah, all governments are bad. all companies are ethically questionable.
that's why we should just go anarchy.

anyone wanna go roast some fish over an open bonfire in the UN headquarters?
i feel like taking a dump in the oval office, personally.

Anarchy is a silly idea. Without order there is no progress, without progress we will die.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

Anarchy is a silly idea. Without order there is no progress, without progress we will die.

we've been on top around here for a long time. haven't you ever heard of sharing?
it's time we let some other species have some fun.

 

[Arseface]

we've been on top around here for a long time. haven't you ever heard of sharing?
it's time we let some other species have some fun.

There's a reason why humans are the most successful species in the history of ever. It's because we have the higher brain function necessary to understand our world. If we were to destroy our society, then no one else would be better off, and we would slowly die.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

There's a reason why humans are the most successful species in the history of ever. It's because we have the higher brain function necessary to understand our world. If we were to destroy our society, then no one else would be better off, and we would slowly die.

list of things that would be better off:
http://www.earthsendangered.com/list_html.asp

other things that would be better off:

Spoiler

for the record, this isn't hippie behavior. hippie behavior is activism with the interest of improving the situation. i'm too doubtful to be a hippie :lol:

 

[El Mosqueton]

Ze Concept Of Crab

wat?

 

[Arseface]

list of things that would be better off:
http://www.earthsendangered.com/list_html.asp

http://www.earthsendangered.com/list_html.asp

You know, all life on Earth today is only 1% of life that has ever existed on Earth? These things happen, whether we do it or not.

other things that would be better off:

Spoiler

Those things would also be better off. That is, until natural climate change takes it's course. Nothing lasts forever, and I agree that we shouldn't try to speed it up, I think saying that the world would be better without humanity is defeating the purpose.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

You know, all life on Earth today is only 1% of life that has ever existed on Earth? These things happen, whether we do it or not.

yeah, but the thing is for a lot of those creatures we are doing it. not all of them...
but by transporting species into places they wouldn't normally exist we're exacerbating.
by hunting and affecting the balance that dictates natural selection we're exacerbating.
with toxic emitions, oil spills, and overall polluting we're exacerbating.

Those things would also be better off. That is, until natural climate change takes it's course. Nothing lasts forever, and I agree that we shouldn't try to speed it up, I think saying that the world would be better without humanity is defeating the purpose.

the world would, without a doubt be better off without us. but i'm not noble enough to remove myself from being part of the problem, are you? we're headed full speed towards a brick wall and that's a fact.

 

[Arseface]

yeah, but the thing is for a lot of those creatures we are doing it. not all of them...
but by transporting species into places they wouldn't normally exist we're exacerbating.
by hunting and affecting the balance that dictates natural selection we're exacerbating.
with toxic emitions, oil spills, and overall polluting we're exacerbating.

the world would, without a doubt be better off without us. but i'm not noble enough to remove myself from being part of the problem, are you? we're headed full speed towards a brick wall and that's a fact.

True, but I'm saying that everything has to end sometime. There is no such thing as unnatural. If we put our considerable power into helping the world instead of exploiting it, then it would be better off than it would have ever been had we not evolved. The fact that we don't is sad, but I'm confident that eventually we will.