Vicarious Visions, the studio that developed Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and the remake for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, has been reassigned within Activision Blizzard, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Moving forward, the studio’s team of about 200 people will now be “fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives.” That means for any games Vicarious Visions works on in the future, it will not serve as the lead development studio.
“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,” a Blizzard spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz. The studio did not specify what projects Vicarious Visions is providing support for currently, as Blizzard Entertainment is currently working on three titles — an ARPG hack and slash mobile game, Diablo Immortal, in addition to sequels for Diablo and Overwatch — but Bloomberg reported on Friday evening that Vicarious Visions has been working on the Diablo franchise since last year. That work includes a Diablo II remake, according to Bloomberg.
As part of the merger, Jen Oneal, who previously served as the studio’s head, has been promoted as the executive vice president of development at Blizzard. Vicarious Visions was founded in 1990 and became a subsidiary of Activision in 2005. Throughout its 30-plus year lifespan, the studio has worked on various projects across numerous franchises, including Tony Hawk, Crash Bandicoot, and Guitar Hero.
Update January 22nd, 7:07PM ET: added Bloomberg’s report that Vicarious Visions is working on the Diablo franchise.
