Activision Blizzard has announced that it has merged the developer Vicarious Visions into Blizzard and the studio will now work exclusively on Blizzard titles. Vicarious Visions was previously working for Activision titles as well and it released the recent Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remake as well. After the merger, the studio will now only work on Blizzard titles and will not work on any titles by Activision.
This was reported by GameIndustry.biz who reported that the studio of 200 people will be now ‘fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives’. The studio’s head Jen Oneal has also been promoted as Blizzard executive Vice President of Development. She will now join Blizzard’s leadership team and will report directly to Blizzard president J. Allen Brack. A company representative detailed to GameIndustry.biz:
After collaborating with Vicarious Visions for some time and developing a great relationship, Blizzard realized there was an opportunity for [Vicarious Visions] to provide long-term support.
Vicarious Visions also developed and released Crash Bandicoot N’ Sane Trilogy and we already loved their latest release Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remake. Both of these releases were fan favorites however with the studio now focusing on Blizzard titles, it means that the studio will no longer on its own titles and will only work on what is directed to the studio by Blizzard. This means that we cannot expect similar titles from Vicarious Visions in the future.
The studio was formed back in 1990 however it the early 2000s, it became part of Activision and since then, it has been working on its own titles. With this latest merger, Vicarious Visions might lose its own identity and will eventually just become Blizzard overall since it will not be working on its own titles anymore and it does not bode well for gamers.
What do you think about Blizzard merging Vicarious Visions into itself? Let us know in the comments section below.
