Update: Sierra has since
commented that
Ghostbusters is not cancelled and will not be cancelled. There is still no word on the remaining games and the article below is left unchanged.
Activision Blizzard has submitted its latest release schedule today, with no date listed for games such as
Ghostbusters,
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand,
Chronicles of Riddick or
Brutal Legend - all of which may face cancellation as a result of the merger between Activision and Blizzard.
One of the big questions about the merger which hadn't been publicly resolved was what would happen to games under Vivendi's Sierra label - and now we know. Activision has announced that it will be keeping five of Sierra's franchises and not the rest.
Activision Blizzard has commented that it plans to 'realign' staff at High Moon Studios (
The Bourne Conspiracy) and Radical Entertainment (
Prototype).
The future for other studios however is a bit more bleak - Massive Entertainment (
World in Conflict), Swordfish Studios (
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand and the Mobile and Online disivisions of Sierra are all being assessed for sale or closure. We are currently investigating what will happen with Double Fine Studios and
Brutal Legend.
Activision has confirmed however that it will be keeping some of the games on the Sierra label - namely
Spyro,
Crash Bandicoot,
Ice Age,
Prototype,
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and one other unannounced title. Joy.
"
We are focused on improving efficiency across the combined organisation and are concentrating on businesses where we have leadership positions that are aligned with Activision Publishing's long-term corporate objectives," said Activision CEO Mike Griffith in a statement.
"
We have conducted a thorough review of Vivendi Games' brand portfolio and are retaining those franchises and titles that are a strong fit with our long-term product strategy. We are reviewing our options regarding those titles that we will not be publishing."
"
We are very excited to add such recognisable and successful brands as Crash Bandicoot, Ice Age and Spyro, which reinforce our leadership position in movie-based and family entertainment video games," added Griffith.
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