Vicarious Visions officially merges with Blizzard, drops name

Vicarious Visions, the makers of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2, has been fully merged into Blizzard Entertainment, the studio said on Tuesday. It said that the entire Blizzard Entertainment development team is still based in Albany, New York.

The completed merger means a studio founded 31 years ago will lose its name and original branding. Blizzard announced the merger last year, and workers were informed about the name change in October 2021.

Vicarious Visions was founded in 1991 by brothers Karthik and Guha Bala, who sold the studio to Activision in 2005. Since then, Vicarious Visions developers have worked on ports for titles like Ultimate Spider-Man, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy. The studio is best known for the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2, and for supporting last September’s Diablo II: Resurrected.

Former Vicarious Visions Studio head Jen Oneal was appointed Blizzard’s executive vice president for development in January after Vicarious Visions was merged into Blizzard. The following July, when Blizzard president J. Allen Brack stepped down in light of a workplace discrimination and harassment lawsuit brought by California regulators, Oneal and Mike Ybarra took Brack’s place leading Blizzard. Oneal left that position shortly thereafter. A Wall Street Journal article later stated Oneal said she doubted Activision Blizzard leadership in the light of multiple discrimination and sexual harassment investigations.

In January, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in a landmark $68. 7 billion deal, which will face scrutiny from regulators with the Federal Trade Commission. Chief executive Bobby Kotick also is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice over potential insider trading, the Journal reported.