Blizzard Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions, Inc.) is an American video game developer based in Albany, New York. The studio was acquired by Activision in 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 company Blizzard Entertainment in January 2021 and was merged into it in April 2022, thereby being renamed Blizzard Albany.
Final Vicarious Visions logo used from 2017 until its rebrand in 2022.
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 of MapInfo 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 to Activision, 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 in Mountain View, California.[2] On April 5, 2016, the Bala brothers announced that they had left the company.[3] The brothers then founded Velan Studios in November 2016.[4]
On January 22, 2021, Vicarious Visions was moved by Activision Blizzard from a subsidiary of Activision to a subsidiary of Blizzard 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 planned remaster of Diablo 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 other Diablo properties including Diablo IV.[6][7] Vicarious Visions studio head Jen Oneal moved to Blizzard's management and was succeeded by Simon Ebejer, previously the studio's chief 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's QA team, about 20 members in size, announced a unionization drive in July 2022 as GWA Albany. It follows Raven Software, another Activision Blizzard subsidiary, whose QA team voted to unionize earlier in the year.[12]
It was revealed on June 10, 2011, that Vicarious Visions was working on the 3DS version of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, and would go on to have an important role in developing the Skylanders game series, creating the games Skylanders: Swap Force and Skylanders: SuperChargers.[13] On December 8, 2016, Vicarious Visions announced that they were partnering with Bungie to work on the Destiny franchise.[14]
Game engineEdit
Vicarious Visions Alchemy is the company's game engine. It was released in 2002. It was originally called Intrinsic Alchemy and developed by Intrinsic Graphics before being renamed after Vicarious Visions acquired Intrinsic Graphics in 2003.[15]
^Frank, Allegra (April 5, 2016). "Vicarious Visions co-founders move on after 25 years". Polygon. from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
^Handy, Alex (June 7, 2007). "Exclusive: Activision Closes Vicarious Visions' CA Office". Gamasutra. from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
^Futter, Mike (April 5, 2016). "Vicarious Visions Co-Founder Brothers Depart After 25 Years". Game Informer. from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
^"Bala brothers found Velan studios". Market for Computer & Video Games. November 21, 2016. from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
^Sinclair, Brendan (January 22, 2021). "Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard". GamesIndustry.biz. from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
^Schreier, Jason (January 22, 2021). "Blizzard Absorbs Activision Studio After Dismantling Classic Games Team". Bloomberg News. from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
^Minotti, Mike (February 22, 2021). "Blizzard leaders J. Allen Brack and Allen Adham on leaks, Reforged lessons, mobile, and more". Venture Beat. from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
^Bankhurst, Adam (January 22, 2021). "Activision Merges Blizzard and Vicarious Visions". IGN. from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
^"Vicarious Visions to drop its name and fully merge with Blizzard, sources say". Polygon. October 27, 2021. from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
^Middler, Jordan (April 12, 2022). "Tony Hawk studio Vicarious Visions is no more as it completes merger with Blizzard". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
^Kennedy, Victoria (April 12, 2022). "Skylanders dev Vicarious Visions is officially renamed Blizzard Albany". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 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. from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
^McWhertor, Michael (December 8, 2016). "Destiny Development Team Expands With Vicarious Visions". Polygon. from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
^"Vicarious Visions Acquires Intrinsic Graphics Technology". www.gamasutra.com. from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
^East, Thomas (July 2, 2013). . Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
^Machkovech, Sam (February 19, 2021). "Diablo II Resurrected tops BlizzCon announcement flurry". Ars Technica. from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
^jkdmedia (May 4, 2012). "Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder 2 Talent Announcement". GameZone. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
^. VVisions.com. Vicarious Visions. Archived from the original on August 16, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
^Reilly, Luke (June 20, 2022). "Tony Hawk Confirms Plans for Pro Skater 3 + 4 Remake Were Abandoned After Blizzard Merger". IGN. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
External linksEdit
Official website
October 21, 2023
blizzard, albany, formerly, vicarious, visions, american, video, game, developer, based, albany, york, studio, acquired, activision, january, 2005, after, releasing, last, game, part, that, company, tony, hawk, skater, vicarious, visions, became, part, activis. Blizzard Albany formerly Vicarious Visions Inc is an American video game developer based in Albany New York The studio was acquired by Activision in 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 company Blizzard Entertainment in January 2021 and was merged into it in April 2022 thereby being renamed Blizzard Albany Blizzard AlbanyFormerlyVicarious Visions Inc 1991 2022 TypeSubsidiaryIndustryVideo gamesFounded1991 32 years ago 1991 FoundersKarthik BalaGuha BalaHeadquartersAlbany New York USKey peopleSimon Ebejer studio head Aaron Ondek CTO Number of employees200 2021 ParentActivision 2005 2021 Blizzard Entertainment 2021 present Websitevvisions com at the Wayback Machine archived March 20 2022 now redirects to blizzard com Contents 1 History 2 Game history 3 Game engine 4 Games developed 5 Cancelled games 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksHistory Edit nbsp Final Vicarious Visions logo used from 2017 until its rebrand in 2022 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 of MapInfo 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 to Activision 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 in Mountain View California 2 On April 5 2016 the Bala brothers announced that they had left the company 3 The brothers then founded Velan Studios in November 2016 4 On January 22 2021 Vicarious Visions was moved by Activision Blizzard from a subsidiary of Activision to a subsidiary of Blizzard 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 planned remaster of Diablo 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 other Diablo properties including Diablo IV 6 7 Vicarious Visions studio head Jen Oneal moved to Blizzard s management and was succeeded by Simon Ebejer previously the studio s chief 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 s QA team about 20 members in size announced a unionization drive in July 2022 as GWA Albany It follows Raven Software another Activision Blizzard subsidiary whose QA team voted to unionize earlier in the year 12 Game history EditTerminus an online multiplayer space trading and combat simulation game won two Independent Games Festival Awards in 1999 They became known as a leading developer of handheld games breaking ground by the Tony Hawk s Pro Skater series developing Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS titles in the franchise s main series as well as one spin off They developed the first three Crash Bandicoot GBA games Vicarious Visions developed Spider 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 and Doom 3 for the Xbox Vicarious Visions developed for the Guitar Hero series on the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms For Guitar 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 of Skylanders Spyro s Adventure and would go on to have an important role in developing the Skylanders game series creating the games Skylanders Swap Force and Skylanders SuperChargers 13 On December 8 2016 Vicarious Visions announced that they were partnering with Bungie to work on the Destiny franchise 14 Game engine EditVicarious Visions Alchemy is the company s game engine It was released in 2002 It was originally called Intrinsic Alchemy and developed by Intrinsic Graphics before being renamed after Vicarious Visions acquired Intrinsic Graphics in 2003 15 Games developed EditYear Game Platform s Notes1996 Synnergist Microsoft DOS PC CD ROM 1997 Dark Angael Microsoft Windows1999 Zebco Fishing Game Boy ColorVigilante 82000 Polaris SnoCross Game Boy Color Nintendo 64 PlayStation Microsoft WindowsTerminus Microsoft Windows MacOS LinuxSpider Man Game Boy ColorThe Wild Thornberrys RamblerPro DartsBarbie Magic Genie AdventureJimmy White s Cue Ball2001 Wanadoo SnowCross Game Boy Color Microsoft WindowsRescue Heroes Fire Frenzy Game Boy ColorBlue s Clues Blue s Alphabet BookSpongeBob SquarePants Legend of the Lost SpatulaZoboomafoo Playtime in ZoboolandMonsters Inc Kelly Club Clubhouse FunSea Doo Hydrocross PlayStationSpider Man 2 Enter ElectroTony Hawk s Pro Skater 2 Game Boy AdvancePower Rangers Time ForceSpider Man Mysterio s Menace2002 Crash Bandicoot The Huge AdventureTony Hawk s Pro Skater 3Frogger Advance The Great QuestSpongeBob SquarePants Revenge of the Flying DutchmanThe Powerpuff Girls Him and SeekTony Hawk s Pro Skater 4 Game Boy Advance PlayStationStar Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast GameCube XboxWhiteout Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Xbox2003 The Muppets On With The Show Game Boy Advance Microsoft WindowsCrash Bandicoot 2 N Tranced Game Boy AdvanceBruce Lee Return of the LegendX2 Wolverine s RevengeFinding NemoJet Set RadioDisney s Extreme Skate AdventureDisney s The Lion King 1 Tony Hawk s UndergroundSpongeBob SquarePants Battle for Bikini BottomDisney s Brother BearCrash Nitro Kart Game Boy Advance GameCube PlayStation 2 Xbox N GageSpy Muppets License to Croak Game Boy Advance Microsoft WindowsStar Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy Xbox2004 Rivet Mobile phoneSpider Man vs Doc OckShrek 2 Game Boy AdvanceCrash Bandicoot Purple Ripto s Rampage and Spyro Orange The Cortex ConspiracyShark TaleTony Hawk s Underground 2That s So RavenShrek 2 Beg For Mercy Codename Kids Next Door Operation S O D A Spider Man 2 Nintendo DS PlayStation Portable2005 Doom 3 XboxMadagascar Operation Penguin Game Boy AdvanceBatman BeginsX Men Legends II Rise of Apocalypse PlayStation PortableMadagascar Game Boy Advance Nintendo DSUltimate Spider ManTony Hawk s American Sk8land2006 Over the HedgeOver the Hedge Hammy Goes Nuts Game Boy AdvanceTony Hawk s Downhill Jam Nintendo DSMarvel Ultimate Alliance PlayStation Portable Wii2007 Spider Man 3 Game Boy Advance Nintendo DS PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable WiiShrek the Third Game Boy Advance Nintendo DSGuitar Hero III Legends of Rock WiiTransformers Decepticons Nintendo DSTransformers AutobotsTony Hawk s Proving GroundBee Movie Game2008 Kung Fu PandaGuitar Hero On Tour007 Quantum of SolaceGuitar Hero On Tour DecadesGuitar Hero Aerosmith WiiGuitar Hero World Tour2009 Guitar Hero 5Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 PlayStation 3 Xbox 360Band Hero Nintendo DS WiiMixed Messages DSiWareTransformers Revenge of the Fallen Decepticons Nintendo DSTransformers Revenge of the Fallen AutobotsGuitar Hero On Tour Modern Hits2010 Transformers War for Cybertron DecepticonsTransformers War for Cybertron AutobotsGuitar Hero iOSGuitar Hero Warriors of Rock Wii2011 Skylanders Spyro s Adventure Nintendo 3DS2012 Skylanders Cloud Patrol iOS Android Kindle FireSkylanders Lost Islands iOS AndroidSkylanders BattlegroundsSkylanders Giants Wii U2013 Skylanders Swap Force PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Wii U 16 Xbox 360 Xbox One2014 Skylanders Trap Team iOS Android Kindle Fire2015 Skylanders SuperChargers PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One Wii U iOS2016 Skylanders Imaginators Crash Edition PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Nintendo Switch2016 Call of Duty Infinite Warfare PlayStation 4 Xbox One PC2017 Destiny 2 a Microsoft WindowsCrash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch PC2020 Tony Hawk s Pro Skater 1 2 PlayStation 4 Xbox One PC PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X S Nintendo Switch2020 Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War PlayStation 4 Xbox One PC PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X S Assisted Raven Software2021 Call of Duty Warzone PlayStation 4 Xbox One PC PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X S Assisted Raven Software2021 Diablo II Resurrected PlayStation 5 PlayStation 4 Xbox Series X S Xbox One Nintendo Switch PC 17 Co developed with Blizzard Team 32023 Diablo IV PlayStation 5 PlayStation 4 Xbox Series X S Xbox One PC Co developed with Blizzard Team 3Cancelled games EditYear Game Platform s 2000 AMF Xtreme Bowling Game Boy ColorVR Sports Powerboat RacingCarnivale2001 Sea Doo Hydrocross Game Boy Color Dreamcast Nintendo 642003 Shaun Palmer s Pro Snowboarder 2 18 Game Boy AdvanceStatic Shock 19 2008 Call of Duty Roman Wars Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 3602010 DJ Hero 3D Nintendo 3DS2011 Guitar Hero 7 PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Wii2012 Untitled Crash Bandicoot game2017 Untitled Skylanders game PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One Wii U Switch2021 Tony Hawk s Pro Skater 3 4 20 Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Xbox One Xbox Series X S Nintendo SwitchNotes Edit As a support team for BungieReferences Edit Frank Allegra April 5 2016 Vicarious Visions co founders move on after 25 years Polygon Archived from the original on November 8 2020 Retrieved May 26 2021 Handy Alex June 7 2007 Exclusive Activision Closes Vicarious Visions CA Office Gamasutra Archived from the original on February 1 2021 Retrieved January 27 2021 Futter Mike April 5 2016 Vicarious Visions Co Founder Brothers Depart After 25 Years Game Informer Archived from the original on April 8 2016 Retrieved April 5 2016 Bala brothers found Velan studios Market for Computer amp Video Games November 21 2016 Archived from the original on June 14 2021 Retrieved June 4 2021 Sinclair Brendan January 22 2021 Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard GamesIndustry biz Archived from the original on January 22 2021 Retrieved January 22 2021 Schreier Jason January 22 2021 Blizzard Absorbs Activision Studio After Dismantling Classic Games Team Bloomberg News Archived from the original on February 24 2021 Retrieved January 22 2021 Minotti Mike February 22 2021 Blizzard leaders J Allen Brack and Allen Adham on leaks Reforged lessons mobile and more Venture Beat Archived from the original on February 22 2021 Retrieved February 22 2021 Bankhurst Adam January 22 2021 Activision Merges Blizzard and Vicarious Visions IGN Archived from the original on May 20 2021 Retrieved February 18 2022 Vicarious Visions to drop its name and fully merge with Blizzard sources say Polygon October 27 2021 Archived from the original on October 30 2021 Retrieved October 31 2021 Middler Jordan April 12 2022 Tony Hawk studio Vicarious Visions is no more as it completes merger with Blizzard Video Games Chronicle Retrieved April 12 2022 Kennedy Victoria April 12 2022 Skylanders dev Vicarious Visions is officially renamed Blizzard Albany Eurogamer Retrieved April 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 Archived from the original on June 14 2011 Retrieved June 14 2011 McWhertor Michael December 8 2016 Destiny Development Team Expands With Vicarious Visions Polygon Archived from the original on December 8 2016 Retrieved January 4 2017 Vicarious Visions Acquires Intrinsic Graphics Technology www gamasutra com Archived from the original on July 15 2020 Retrieved June 15 2019 East Thomas July 2 2013 Skylanders Swap Force Wii will be very close to the HD versions Official Nintendo Magazine Archived from the original on July 5 2013 Retrieved October 3 2013 Machkovech Sam February 19 2021 Diablo II Resurrected tops BlizzCon announcement flurry Ars Technica Archived from the original on February 20 2021 Retrieved February 20 2021 jkdmedia May 4 2012 Shaun Palmer s Pro Snowboarder 2 Talent Announcement GameZone Retrieved June 7 2023 Static Shock In Development VVisions com Vicarious Visions Archived from the original on August 16 2003 Retrieved March 1 2023 Reilly Luke June 20 2022 Tony Hawk Confirms Plans for Pro Skater 3 4 Remake Were Abandoned After Blizzard Merger IGN Retrieved June 21 2022 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Blizzard Albany amp oldid 1179606323 Game engine, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
