![200 Bizarre jobs face Activision axe [Update 4]](/static/images/news/36396/184_8191_Bizarre Creations.jpg?i=1289930072 "200 Bizarre jobs face Activision axe [Update 4]")
Emotional outpouring across Twitter suggests the Blur studio will shut down
Activision has confirmed its Liverpool-based studio Bizarre Creations is in the firing line, with seperate sources claiming that the outfit's 200-odd staff could be out of a job within 90 days.
Studio sources told Develop earlier today that the Project Gotham developer has been put on three months' notice.
Activision said it is "exploring our options regarding the future of the studio, including a potential sale of the business."
If the studio closes down, it will mark the second full-scale UK studio to have been torn from its roots this year alone.
Dundee studio Realtime Worlds entered administration in August following poor sales of its final project; APB.
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Bizarre Creations appears to have suffered the same fate, if a statement from Activision is to be believed.
The publisher said: "Although we made a substantial investment in creating a new IP, Blur, it did not find a commercial audience."
Bizarre Creations recently hinted that work was underway on a sequel to the racing title.
The news comes days after Activision revealed it had made over £80 million in five UK shopping days after the release of Call Of Duty Black Ops.
Bizarre's most recent game, 007: Blood Stone was released just two weeks ago, to average review scores and modest sales.
The studio also completed its first game for Activision, the racing game Blur, earlier this year.
Activision paid $67.4 million in cash to wholly acquire the Project Gotham Racing developer back in 2007.
The publisher would have had to pay Bizarre an additional $40 million if the studio met its commercial targets by 2012/13.
this sort of news makes me feel sick to the stomach...Activision i fucking hate you with a passion, you evil kunts. i am never buying an activision game again.
Just heard this news from a friend too - nasty stuff going down in Liverpool.
Terrible shame. I thought Activision was backing UK development?
I guess with two major commercial failures back-to-back, there's not much you can do.
It always sickens me to hear of closures like this. Publishers need to wake up and realise that, when a game doesn't score or sell quite as well as they'd like, it's not just the studio's fault.
You know what the difference is between Bizarre and such as Slightly Mad? Luck. And timing.
If there's any bad management at Bizarre - replace them. Don't close the whole damn studio.
Sickening, absolutely sickening.
As a current uni student studying to persue a career in the industry it is painful news to read, as it seems more and more U.K. studios are closing shop, or in trouble. It is also made much worse by the fact that I know a few people who will be directly affected by this.
I wish all the guys at Bizarre the best of luck in the near future.
I hope Martyn Chudley doesn't let the talent that he built up over the years disperse overnight and sets up a smaller development company.
Everyone knows that BLUR was a really great game. The cock-up was the marketing. Whoever thought that approach was a good idea shouldn't even be in marketing. It was an utterly lazy idea and the wrong pitch completely. Therein lies the rub. I hope everyone lands on their feet.
Got to agree with you on that one.
If a game sells well, marketing take all the credit, if it bombs, the developer takes all the blame. Funny that.
