Bizarre Creations Closure Could See Video Game Talent Leave Liverpool For Good

THE closure of one of the region’s biggest video games developers could see some of the sector’s brightest talent leave the area.
US software giant Activision has confirmed that it plans to close Bizarre Creations, in Speke, which employs around 200 people.
The studio was put up for sale last year after racing game Blur, which Activision had hoped would be a smash hit, racked up disappointing sales.
But Activision says no buyer has come forward and that the studio will close.
Economic development bodies, including The Mersey Partnership, see video games as a crucial sector for the region’s economy. Bizarre is the second-biggest video games employer in Merseyside, so its loss will be a blow to their hopes.


And one industry analyst said some Bizarre staff were likely to leave the region to find new work.
Speke-based Bizarre produced hit games including the Project Gotham Racing series and Geometry Wars. It was bought by Activision in 2007 and last year launched racing game Blur.
But the game proved a commercial disappointment and in November Activision said it was reviewing the studio’s future.
No-one was available for comment at Bizarre. But Activision referred the Daily Post to an interview Coddy Johnson, Activision Worldwide Studios’ chief operating officer, gave to games industry website Develop, where he said: “We were talking to a lot of companies about buying Bizarre – as many as possible – but when it got down to it, no parties wanted to take over the studio.”


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