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Split/Second, Pure developer Black Rock Studio closes today
Black Rock Studio's former studio director, Nick Baynes, tweeted earlier today, marking the last sunset for the developer of Split/Second and Pure. Disney made the decision to close the talented studio in July, after the house of mouse rejected Black Rock's final pitch, a freemium DOTA-style RTS named Champions Alliance (which Disney never intended to green-light, sources claim). At least two studios have emerged from the ashes of Black Rock: ShortRound and RoundCube Entertainment. If both studios delivers the type of quality we saw from Black Rock, we wish them a long, healthy existence.
Rumor: Black Rock never had a chance with Disney, employees say
Some former Black Rock Studio employees claim the developer never stood a chance of surviving Disney Interactive's new direction. Last week, Disney announced that it's looking to shut down UK-based Black Rock Studio, developer of Split/Second, after the studio's current project was declined by Disney brass. "Really, [Disney] were just paying lip-service to us with this talk of the pitch," one anonymous source told Develop. "Anything we suggested wasn't going to be accepted." The employees claim that Disney had planned to shut down the studio at the start of the year, and that it wasn't in Black Rock's power to change its fate. Given the specificity of UK laws, the timing of the studio layoffs does imply Black Rock's demise was etched in stone and being orchestrated by the House of Mouse all the way back in January.
Disney moves to close Split/Second developer Black Rock
Black Rock Studio, developer of Split/Second and Pure, will soon be blasted out of existence by the House of Mouse. In a statement provided to Eurogamer, Disney confirmed that none of the current projects at the studio were given the greenlight, and that employees had been told of an impending "consultation process" -- a 90-day phase under UK law warning of potential closure. It's a sad end for a developer that deserved better. Pure and Split/Second were both critically acclaimed racing games that had a rough time finding an audience. Layoffs began at the studio several months back and a few of the top brass have already formed new outfits. Black Rock Studio's General Manager Tony Beckwith tells Joystiq he can't "comment at the moment" on the situation.
Report: Split/Second dev Black Rock facing layoffs
UK-based developer Black Rock Studio is said to be on the verge of eliminating as many as 40 positions. Eurogamer cites an unnamed source at the company, who says the layoffs are coming Thursday morning "with the aim of reducing the studio to a single game team." The source goes into further detail about recent happenings at the studio, including the cancellation of a Split/Second sequel during pre-production and the shooting down of multiple game pitches by its parent company, Disney Interactive. Nearly half of Black Rock's staff is said to have been spinning its wheels without a project for several months as a result, so the source says the layoffs -- which have been hitting in waves across Disney's gaming unit since last year -- don't really come as a surprise. There's evidently a silver lining on this most recent unemployment-spawned grey cloud, at least; according to the source, the slimmed-down Black Rock will continue work on a "promising" but "new and risky" title that's already in development. We've reached out to Disney for comment on the report and our best wishes go out to anyone affected by the layoffs. If you're among that group and would like to share your story, contact us.
Additional Split/Second DLC revealed; 'Survival at the Rock' out now
Some Split/Second DLC is pulling into the left lane -- wait, we can't do this. It's not fair to you and it's not fair to us. We're better and more capable than pulling these types of shenanigans. Let's put it in park, take a second to collect ourselves and take another lap around the track. ... Okay, now that we've got that out of our system: today, fans of Black Rock Studio's racer can download some additional content with the Survival at the Rock DLC pack. Within you'll find the Minepit Park track and a new game mode called Survival Race -- it's a take on Survival mode where instead of lapping semis beneath the shadow of the looming clock 'o doom, players will be tasked with simply completing a set number of laps. Survival at the Rock is available for download right now on Xbox Live and PSN for 400 MS Points and $4.99, respectively. Throughout the next month, however, Disney will also be dishing out two more DLC packs. On October 19 you can download the Deadline pack, which adds four new vehicles -- the Ryback Coyote Special, Cobretti Centaur, Ryback Javelin and Hanzo Kanobo -- and Deadline mode, a clock-based race mode where players can freeze the timer by picking up items on the track. Finally, on November 2, you can snag the Quarry Onslaught pack, adding the titular Quarry track and a new game mode, Onslaught -- a single player and multiplayer-compatible mode where drivers dodge "waves of missiles from a circling helicopter." This game mode will be compatible across nine different tracks in the game, including Deadline. These packs will join the currently available Elite Vehicle Livery and the High Octane Supercar packs. The Deadline pack will set you back 400 MS Points ($4.99), while Quarry Onslaught will cost a bit more: 800 MS Points ($9.99). Head past the break for a trailer showcasing Survival at the Rock. Heads-up: it in no way involves Sean Connery. Yeah, we were kinda bummed about that too.
Black Rock Studio opening its doors to Disney XD viewers
As part of a mentorship campaign initiated by Disney's XD channel, England-based developer Black Rock Studio will welcome some young viewers into the exciting world of game development. Kids will get to see what's under the bonnet of Split/Second, the studio's disaster-driven racer that debuted in May. Black Rock audio director Steve Rockett values the positive message and "inspirational format" of Disney's campaign, telling Develop, "I think this idea is comparable to what has been going on in the music industry in the past few years in that it shows we are becoming much more accessible, and now people see it for what it is – a great place to work." Rockett will be showing his informal pupils how engine sounds are recorded and implemented in the game (it's just a guy going "VRROOM!" into a microphone, right?), while lead designer Ian Hudson will delve into Split/Second's unique track creation. Cars go here, explosions go there. This bit collapses. Got it! According to Hudson, allowing players to participate in this manner will help sell them on game development as a viable and fun career. "When they see their ideas appearing in those games, well that's just thrilling, and it definitely gives them the idea that this isn't that hard to do and they have the ability to do it," he said. "I think it will attract a lot of people. The kids will get to say 'oh that's how you do it, I understand it now'." But remember, kids: don't release anything alongside Rockstar's latest game.
Split/Second destroys the track in May 2010
Split/Second now has a much narrower release window, having been winnowed from a vague '2010' to a much more manageable 'May 2010,' according to CVG (and confirmed by Joystiq with Disney Interactive). For those who haven't been keeping up with it, Split/Second is a racing game that lets players use the environment against their opponents. For example, you can cause a whole building to topple directly onto the road, thus changing the course of the race -- and possibly crushing a few opponents in the process. In short, it's great fun, to which our E3 hands-on can attest. Fans of racing and big explosions may want to mark their Michael Bay Swimsuit calendars pronto.
Disney games boss: You can't get by on just 'good' IP today
Disney Interactive's executive VP and general manager, Graham Hopper, believes that companies can't get by on just a "good" IP in this economic climate and that there needs to be substance in a game -- we're sure the "new THQ" agrees. Hopper tells MCV that he's "excited" about Split/Second, the new racer from Black Rock Studio, which is the development house behind the critically acclaimed Pure. And if that's the case, we're certain he's "super duper" excited about whatever top secret project gaming legend Warren Spector and his Junction Point Studios – which Disney acquired over two years ago now – are working on. Hopefully Disney Interactive's fortunes turn around with this initiative; the company certainly needs the revenue. There's also plenty of good executive hires available for the company to come up with something new, if this latest strategy doesn't work out.
Split/Second debut trailer is highly destructive
As promised, last night's episode of GameTrailers TV brought our first non-fuzzy look at Pure developer Black Rock Studio's upcoming racing title, Split/Second. Keighley's ominous warning seems accurate -- it appears to be trying to give Burnout a run for its money. However, rather than participating in high-speed (probably illegal) street racing for your own amusement, it looks like Split/Second will be placing your automotive exploits in front of an enraptured televised audience.Split/Second will also add a neat gameplay element hinted at in the trailer -- it looks like players will be able to "trigger" destructive events on the track in order to impede their opponents (or themselves, if they're not on top of their respective games). Watch the trailer if you want an example. The developers promise further info about the game next Wednesday -- til' then, you can check out the trailer here!
Pure's ATV racing coming to A TV near you on Sept. 23
Disney Interactive Studios has informed us -- by means of a very elaborate musical number -- that its edge-of-the-seat ATV racer, Pure, has shipped out and should be available in "all major retailers" on September 23. Several online retailers are already sending out copies, however, so you'd best check in with your favorite store if next week lies outside your boundaries of patience.If you're not sold on developer Black Rock Studio's high-flying bag of tricks, there's a downloadable demo waiting for you on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation store. Gallery: Pure
If you love quads, Pure should choke your throttle
Who said there aren't enough off-road style X-treeeme sports games out there? Black Rock Studio (formerly Climax Racing), who worked on games like ATV Off-road Fury and the MotoGP franchises are back with a new game: Pure. Pure mud, we assume. You'll be able to pull off out-of-this-world stunts on your quad this Fall. Also check out the Q&A session with the developers over at IGN.
