Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 developer Vicarious Visions is reportedly dropping its studio name and merging completely with its Blizzard Entertainment. Management announced the decision to employees at the studio earlier this week. Some employees are criticizing the studio’s lack of transparency, as they did not announce the name change would occur during its initial merger with Blizzard earlier this year.
Activision originally acquired Vicarious Visions back in 2005. The studio is best known for its work in developing the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy as well as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. Both games were extremely well received upon release. The studio also helped develop games in the Skylanders and Call of Duty series, as well as working as a support studio on Destiny 2.
After the success of its two big reboot titles, Activision Blizzard made the decision to merge Vicarious Visions with its Blizzard division back in January 2021. At the time, Blizzard stated that Vicarious Visions would be “fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives,” and it was further reported that the team was working on Diablo II: Resurrected. While Vicarious Visions shifted its 200+ employees over to work on Blizzard games, there was no indication that the studio’s identity would change in any way.
Apparently, Vicarious Vision’s employees thought so too. Speaking with Polygon, one worker at the studio expressed disappointment with management’s lack of transparency. Others revealed that the “writing was on the wall” for some time. Management announced the name change—or rather complete drop of the name—during a quick town hall meeting on Wednesday. Funnily enough, some employees dressed up in Halloween costumes.
The concern is understandable, considering Activision Blizzard’s ongoing controversy involving allegations of workplace abuse, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Recently, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick even cut his own salary in an attempt to show that the company was committed to fixing its issues. Activision Blizzard is also facing multiple lawsuits, some of which are spearheaded by government organizations.
While Activision Blizzard and Blizzard Entertainment haven’t yet commented on the reports, it certainly appears that Vicarious Visions is no more, now just additional development staff for Blizzard Entertainment.
[Source: Polygon]
