Santa Monica, Calif. – Video game publisher Activision
Blizzard (NASD: ATVI), a unit of Vivendi, has laid off around 200 employees and will shutter
is Luxoflux development studio, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Activision
acquired Luxoflux in 2002; the studio employed 56 people. Other studios hit by
the layoffs are said to include 50 of the 170 employees at Neversoft, lead
developer on the "Guitar Hero" franchise, and half of the 180
staffers at Radical Entertainment.
Kotaku additionally reports that layoffs
also hit Activision’s RedOctane — which originally developed "Guitar
Hero" — and Underground Development studios.
Santa Monica, Calif.-based
Activision reported a loss of $286 million for the fourth quarter of 2009,
partly blamed on weak sales of its music-based and casual games.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/uckj8
(Los Angeles Times)
http://snipurl.com/uckhw
(Kotaku)
http://snipurl.com/ucki3
(Kotaku)
