Studio to be renamed in transition process
According to a report fromPolygon, Vicarious Visions is set to lose its studio name as part of the developer’s merger into Blizzard Entertainment. TheTony Hawkdeveloper is to become a support arm for theWorld of Warcraftstudio presently.
Polygon’s reportcites employees at Vicarious Visions, who claim that they were told of the name change in a “light and quick” meeting earlier this week. While the studio’s new name has not been officially revealed, the Vicarious Visions employees have posited that they expect to be renamed “Blizzard Albany”, in keeping with the umbrella company’s naming conventions for its satellite studios.
“For all of the leadership’s talk about being more transparent in response to the lawsuit and resulting fiasco, the fact they decided to blindside us all with this feels about as far from transparent as you can get,” said one employee.
Vicarious Visions was reassigned to Blizzard Entertainment by publisher Activision in January of this year. The movecame as a surprise to fansfollowing the studio’s excellent releasesCrash Bandicoot N. Sane TrilogyandTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. The team, which consists of around 200 employees will work on providing support to Blizzard products going forward. No staff layoffs are expected at this time, which is something of a relief for the talented developer.
Activision and Blizzard Entertainmentremain embroiled in ongoing lawsuitswith the State of California and the Department of Employment and Housing (DFEH) over accusations ofharassment, discrimination, and a general toxic work environmentfor Blizzard employees. A Californian judge recently denied the publisher’s efforts to pause the lawsuit. Earlier this week, it was announced that the annual Blizzcon gatheringwould not be taking placethis year.
