Activision Blizzard has merged developer Vicarious Visions into Blizzard Entertainment. The publisher announced the news earlier today via gamesindustry.biz. The developer, recently known for its work on the remaster Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, has around 200 employees. The team will now be “fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives.” This will undoubtedly be sad news to some as it means Vicarious won’t be lead developer on any upcoming titles. However, Activision has used it as a support studio on many projects. A representative of Activision Blizzard issued the following statement:
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.”
However, this news doesn’t tell us which upcoming Blizzard project the team will be working on. We know that Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV are in development. But for now, we’ll have to wait for further news. The developer’s studio head Jen Oneal received a promotion to Blizzard vice president of development. Simon Ebejer, who served as chief operating officer for the studio, has moved into her position.
Vicarious Visions’ History With Activision
Karthik and Guha Bala founded Vicarious Visions in 1990. Activision acquired the studio in 2005 and has used it as a support studio on several of its most popular franchises and titles. These include Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero, Skylanders, and Destiny 2. However, in 2017 the studio served as lead developer on the popular remastered collection Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. With another lead developer spot on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, it had another hit. With the news that the team will now solely offer support for existing Blizzard franchises, it may be a long time before we see them in that position again.
What do you think about Vicarious Visions being merged into Blizzard Entertainment? Let us know in the comments below.
