Activision, the largest gaming publisher in the world shocked the entire industry today when they confirmed that developer Bizarre Creations is shut down. For the Ranters that don't already know, Bizarre has created some pretty important software in the past decade: the Project Gotham series, Geometry Wars, The Club, and most recently Blur and James Bond: Blood Stone.

Activision purchased Bizarre Creations some three years ago, and Blur along with Blood Stone have been the products of the sale. Although it's too soon to know sales figures for Blood Stone, Activision cites Blur's retail performance (or in their eyes, lack thereof) as a reason for shutting the studio down. Activision's statement is as follows:

"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. 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."

Despite Activision's abrupt actions, Bizarre won't shut down immediately. According to a Giant Bomb source, there will be a "90-day consultation period, statutory redundancy". This 90-day period is law in the UK, Bizarre's location, before a business is officially closed. It can also be viewed as a notice to the employees that their company is being shut down. As far as the Bizarre employees are concerned, all 200 members of the staff have been made redundant, and it's believed that they became aware of Activision's decision a mere three hours before the news hit the internet today.

What do you think about Activision's decision to shut down Bizarre Creations, Ranters? Is it fair for a publisher to completely shut down a developer if their product doesn't meet expectations sales-wise, or should staff be relocated to different developers a publisher owns? Who should buy Bizarre Creations? Sound off in the comments section below.

We at Game Rant would like to extend our condolences to the entire Bizarre Creations staff and their families. We wish you the absolute best of luck, and hope you land on your feet as quickly as possible. May you find success in all of your future endeavors.

Source: Giant Bomb