well i wasnt happy with budcats recent ports. (band hero, guitar hero 5,) the fact that activision is closing budcat down is a mistake. (and bizzare is next)
Budcat put down
Activision shake-up continues with closure of studio behind Blast Works, Guitar Hero ports, trimming of California QA team; 88 positions impacted.
After finding instant success with the acquisition of Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane in 2006, Activision went on a spending spree of sorts. The publisher picked up Bizarre Creations in 2007 to jump-start its efforts to establish a presence in the racing genre and purchased Blast Works developer Budcat in 2008 for its work on the Guitar Hero franchise and Nintendo platforms.
The publisher is apparently enduring some buyer's remorse, as Activision confirmed for GameSpot today that it is considering selling Bizarre and has outright closed Budcat.
"We continue to streamline our music development resources to ensure that they are aligned against our slate and strategic goals," the company statement reads. "As a result, we are implementing a targeted reduction in jobs in our Quality Assurance team in California and closing our Budcat studio in Iowa. Budcat has been a great partner to Activision and has created a lasting impact on the Guitar Hero franchise.
"Approximately 88 positions, or approximately 1 percent of our global workforce, will be impacted by these reductions," the statement continued. "We are working to redirect those employees that are impacted to other parts of the company where possible, as well as offering them outplacement counseling services."
Budcat already had a working relationship with Activision before being acquired by the publisher, having developed the PlayStation 2 ports of Guitar Hero games like World Tour, Legends of Rock, and the Aerosmith-dedicated spin-off. Beyond that, the developer had worked on ports for the Madden NFL series and Psychonauts, as well as original titles like New York Times Crosswords on the DS and Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy on the Wii.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
EA and Disney team up for Star Wars games
As part of multiyear exclusive arrangement, DICE and Visceral will work on new "core" Star Wars games. Full Story
- Posted May 6, 2013 9:28 pm GMT
-
Assassin's Creed creator claims he was fired
[UPDATE] Patrice Desilets says Ubisoft terminated his position today and did not allow him to collect personal belongings. Full Story
- Posted May 7, 2013 6:44 pm GMT
Featured Stories
-
Study: Violent games can desensitize players
New research finds frequent exposure to violent games can have numbing effect on teenagers, though no cause-and-effect relationship proven. Full Story
- Posted May 10, 2013 2:17 pm GMT
-
World of Warcraft subs fall to 8.3 million
Subscriber base for aging MMO dips 1.3 million in three months; Activision Blizzard posts $456 million profit on $1.32 billion in revenue for Q1. Full Story
- Posted May 8, 2013 9:18 pm GMT
-
EA extends FIFA licensing agreement to 2022
"FIFA continues to be very strong," says EA, which has been making FIFA games since 1993. Full Story
- Posted May 8, 2013 10:19 am GMT
-
No multiplayer in new Wolfenstein
MachineGames' upcoming shooter will be single-player-only experience. Full Story
- Posted May 8, 2013 2:49 pm GMT
-
Ubisoft: PlayStation 4 like a 'perfect jewel'
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag producer says Sony has created a compelling piece of technology and it is up to designers to make most of it. Full Story
- Posted May 9, 2013 5:37 pm GMT
Related Game
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
- Publisher(s): RedOctane
- Developer(s): Neversoft Entertainment
- Genre: Puzzle
- Release:




