Blizzard Albany
 | |
| Formerly | Vicarious Visions, Inc. (1991–2022) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , US |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | 200+ (2021) |
| Parent |
|
| Website | vvisions.comat theWayback Machine(archived March 20, 2022) (now redirects toblizzard.com) |
Blizzard Albany(formerlyVicarious Visions, Inc.) is an Americanvideo game developerand a studio ofBlizzard Entertainmentbased inAlbany, New York.The studio was acquired byActivisionin January 2005. After releasing its last game as part of that company,Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2,Vicarious Visions became part of Activision's sister companyBlizzard Entertainmentin January 2021 and was merged into it in April 2022, thereby being renamed Blizzard Albany.
History[edit]
The studio was founded by brothers Karthik and Guha Bala in 1991 while they were in high school.[1]In the late 1990s, Vicarious Visions appointed Michael Marvin, an Albany-based investor and entrepreneur, and founder and former CEO ofMapInfo Corporation;and Charles S. Jones, investor, who sat on the boards of various software and industrial companies including Geac and PSDI, to its board of directors. Under their leadership, a sale of the company was negotiated toActivision,earning the original investors over 20x their initial investment.[citation needed]In January 2005, Vicarious Visions was acquired by publisher Activision. In June 2007, Activision closed the Vicarious Visions' office inMountain View, California.[2]On April 5, 2016, the Bala brothers announced that they had left the company.[3]The brothers then foundedVelan Studiosin November 2016.[4]
On January 22, 2021, Vicarious Visions was moved byActivision Blizzardfrom a subsidiary of Activision to a subsidiary ofBlizzard Entertainment.Going forward, the more than 200 employees of Vicarious Visions will be employees of Blizzard.[5]Vicarious had been working with Blizzard for about two years prior to this announcement, and specifically on the plannedremasterofDiablo II,Diablo II: Resurrected,and Blizzard felt the move would be best as to have Vicarious' group provide continued support not only on the remaster but also on otherDiabloproperties includingDiablo IV.[6][7]Vicarious Visionsstudio headJen Oneal moved to Blizzard's management and was succeeded by Simon Ebejer, previously the studio'schief operating officer.[8]On October 27, 2021, Blizzard informed Vicarious Visions employees that the studio would change its name.[9]The studio was fully merged into Blizzard on April 12, 2022, and was renamed Blizzard Albany, otherwise retaining its offices.[10][11]
Blizzard Albany'sQuality Assuranceteam, about 20 members in size, announced aunionization drivein July 2022 asGame Workers Alliance Albany.It followsRaven Software,another Activision Blizzard subsidiary, whose QA team voted to unionize earlier in the year.[12]
Game history[edit]
Terminus,an online multiplayer space trading and combat simulation game, won twoIndependent Games FestivalAwards in 1999. They became known as a leading developer of handheld games breaking ground by theTony Hawk's Pro Skaterseries, developingGame Boy AdvanceandNintendo DStitles in the franchise's main series as well as one spin off. They developed the first threeCrash BandicootGBA games. Vicarious Visions developedSpider-Man,Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro,Ultimate Spider-Man,Crash Nitro Kart,Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast,Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy,andDoom 3for the Xbox. Vicarious Visions developed for theGuitar Heroserieson the Nintendo DS andWiiplatforms. ForGuitar Hero: On Tour,Vicarious Visions created the "Guitar Grip" peripheral for the Nintendo DS, which emulates the guitar controller for the portable system.
It was revealed on June 10, 2011, that Vicarious Visions was working on the 3DS version ofSkylanders: Spyro's Adventure,and would go on to have an important role in developing the Skylanders game series, creating the gamesSkylanders: Swap ForceandSkylanders: SuperChargers.[13]On December 8, 2016, Vicarious Visions announced that they were partnering withBungieto work on theDestinyfranchise.[14]
Game engine[edit]
Vicarious Visions Alchemyis the company's game engine. It was released in 2002. It was originally calledIntrinsic Alchemyand developed by Intrinsic Graphics before being renamed after Vicarious Visions acquired Intrinsic Graphics in 2003.[15]
Games developed[edit]
Cancelled games[edit]
| Year | Game | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | AMF Xtreme Bowling[citation needed] | Game Boy Color |
| VR Sports Powerboat Racing | ||
| Carnivale[citation needed] | ||
| 2001 | Sea-Doo Hydrocross | Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64 |
| 2003 | Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder 2[18] | Game Boy Advance |
| Static Shock[19] | ||
| 2008 | Call of Duty: Roman Wars[20] | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| 2021 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4[21] | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
Notes[edit]
- ^As a support team for Bungie
References[edit]
- ^Frank, Allegra (April 5, 2016)."Vicarious Visions co-founders move on after 25 years".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2020.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
- ^Handy, Alex (June 7, 2007)."Exclusive: Activision Closes Vicarious Visions' CA Office".Gamasutra.Archivedfrom the original on February 1, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 27,2021.
- ^Futter, Mike (April 5, 2016)."Vicarious Visions Co-Founder Brothers Depart After 25 Years".Game Informer.Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2016.RetrievedApril 5,2016.
- ^"Bala brothers found Velan studios".Market for Computer & Video Games.November 21, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on June 14, 2021.RetrievedJune 4,2021.
- ^Sinclair, Brendan (January 22, 2021)."Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard".GamesIndustry.biz.Archivedfrom the original on January 22, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 22,2021.
- ^Schreier, Jason (January 22, 2021)."Blizzard Absorbs Activision Studio After Dismantling Classic Games Team".Bloomberg News.Archivedfrom the original on February 24, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 22,2021.
- ^Minotti, Mike (February 22, 2021)."Blizzard leaders J. Allen Brack and Allen Adham on leaks, Reforged lessons, mobile, and more".Venture Beat.Archivedfrom the original on February 22, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 22,2021.
- ^Bankhurst, Adam (January 22, 2021)."Activision Merges Blizzard and Vicarious Visions".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 18,2022.
- ^"Vicarious Visions to drop its name and fully merge with Blizzard, sources say".Polygon.October 27, 2021.Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2021.RetrievedOctober 31,2021.
- ^Middler, Jordan (April 12, 2022)."Tony Hawk studio Vicarious Visions is no more as it completes merger with Blizzard".Video Games Chronicle.RetrievedApril 12,2022.
- ^Kennedy, Victoria (April 12, 2022)."Skylanders dev Vicarious Visions is officially renamed Blizzard Albany".Eurogamer.RetrievedApril 14,2022.
- ^"Blizzard QA workers in Albany are organizing Activision's second union".July 19, 2022.
- ^"Report: Job Losses At Vicarious Visions".Nintendo World Report. June 10, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on June 14, 2011.RetrievedJune 14,2011.
- ^McWhertor, Michael (December 8, 2016)."Destiny Development Team Expands With Vicarious Visions".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 4,2017.
- ^"Vicarious Visions Acquires Intrinsic Graphics Technology".www.gamasutra.com.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2020.RetrievedJune 15,2019.
- ^East, Thomas (July 2, 2013)."Skylanders Swap Force Wii will be very close to the HD versions".Official Nintendo Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon July 5, 2013.RetrievedOctober 3,2013.
- ^Machkovech, Sam (February 19, 2021)."Diablo II Resurrected tops BlizzCon announcement flurry".Ars Technica.Archivedfrom the original on February 20, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 20,2021.
- ^jkdmedia (May 4, 2012)."Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder 2 Talent Announcement".GameZone.RetrievedJune 7,2023.
- ^"Static Shock – In Development".VVisions.com.Vicarious Visions. Archived fromthe originalon August 16, 2003.RetrievedMarch 1,2023.
- ^Leon Hurley (July 5, 2016)."The incredible story of Roman Wars: The lost Call of Duty game".gamesradar.RetrievedJune 2,2024.
- ^Reilly, Luke (June 20, 2022)."Tony Hawk Confirms Plans for Pro Skater 3 + 4 Remake Were Abandoned After Blizzard Merger".IGN.RetrievedJune 21,2022.
External links[edit]
- 1991 establishments in New York (state)
- 2005 mergers and acquisitions
- 2021 mergers and acquisitions
- American companies established in 1991
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Colonie, New York
- Companies based in Albany County, New York
- Former Activision subsidiaries
- Video game companies established in 1991
- Video game companies of the United States
- Video game development companies